Nicola Sturgeon pledges to crack down on NHS bureaucracy

HEALTH Secretary Nicola Sturgeon was today due to announce a crackdown on health service bureaucracy as she confirmed the SNP would pass on any extra cash for the NHS from next week's UK spending review.

Addressing the SNP conference in Perth this afternoon, she will also announce she is going ahead with the abolition of prescription charges next April despite current financial pressures.

The UK Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has said it will ring-fence the NHS from spending cuts.

NHS Lothian has already warned that it may face a 200 million cut in funding over five years in a "worst case" scenario.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to tell delegates: "We have made a clear commitment to pass on the Barnett consequentials of any rise in NHS spending south of the Border.

"At a time when our revenue budget overall is facing significant cash cuts, there will be no revenue cash cuts in the budget for our NHS. Instead it will rise by the full amount of these Barnett consequentials."

However, Ms Sturgeon was also expected to warn there would have to be efficiency savings. And she was due to unveil a new initiative on savings among managers in the NHS.

Ms Sturgeon will go on to confirm the Scottish Government is sticking to its plans to abolish prescription charges, a move she said would help thousands of people across the country who have long-term health conditions and 6000 on low income.

She will say: "For the last three years we have been reducing the cost of prescription charges.

"Some have argued that in this financial climate we should not go ahead with our plan to abolish prescription charges. Times are tight, but we believe the last people who should be paying the price of Labour's economic mess are the sick.

"I can confirm today the Government has decided that in April next year, as promised, prescription charges will be abolished."

A health screening scheme for young athletes is to be extended.

Ms Sturgeon will tell the conference she will provide 150,000 to continue the programme designed to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death.

She will say 700 young people have been helped with health problems since the scheme was launched two years ago. Now it will run for a further two years.

She will add: "It is a relatively small investment, but one with a big impact on on our young men and women and a great example of the wonders of modern technology."