New Health Secretary Michael Matheson has an unenviable task and a real opportunity – Joseph Anderson

A new leader and a new Cabinet often signals a change of political direction, but Humza Yousaf’s new government cannot afford the luxury of choosing its priorities – the health portfolio needs urgent medical attention.

Humza Yousaf with Shona Robison after being voted in as the new First Minister (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

With two former Health Secretaries, Mr Yousaf and Shona Robison, taking up the posts of First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the appointment of Michael Matheson as their successor, health associations and trade unions are already lobbying hard about tackling the crisis in NHS Scotland. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE), for example, says A&E doctors believe fixing the problems in social care – including staff shortages and the need to boost the number of care beds and packages – may help to ease delayed discharges from hospital, therefore improving patient flow.

“Humza Yousaf will have become aware of this during his time as Health Secretary, and we hope that he will address the situation urgently as First Minister,” an RCPE spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Colin Poolman, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland’s director, said severe workforce challenges facing Scotland’s health and care services “must be a top priority” for Yousaf et al.

“Whilst imminent strike action from Scotland’s nurses has been avoided, the chronic staff shortages and low morale are still very real,” said Mr Poolman. “Over 4,000 registered nurses are missing from teams across Scotland, impacting on the safety and quality of patient care and putting even more pressure on staff who are already working extra unpaid hours to cover gaps and going home feeling that they are unable to provide the quality of care they want.” Mr Poolman added that Mr Yousaf must “live up to his promise to reform Agenda for Change and make nursing a career of choice once again”.

Mr Matheson will have to deal with the threat of strike action from junior doctors, with a ballot for industrial action due to open on Wednesday. Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of BMA Scotland, has called on Yousaf’s government to take urgent action on pay. “There needs to be a short, medium and long-term plan for Scotland’s NHS, which includes in the short-term a realistic plan to cope with immediate day-to-day pressures and the coming winter pressures of 2023/24,” said Dr Kennedy, “and an effective workforce plan to make sure that in the longer-term we have the doctors and the wider multidisciplinary team members we need if we want NHS Scotland to survive over the coming years and decades.”

Dr Kennedy added: “To avert the need for strike action there has to be an immediate and urgent commitment from the new First Minister and Cabinet Secretary to enter into formal and meaningful negotiations with our Scottish junior doctors on full pay restoration.”

The only saving grace for Mr Yousaf’s successor is that – barring another pandemic – the health service has shown green shoots of improvement recently. Mr Yousaf’s tenure as Health Secretary was largely considered unsuccessful, and he has become First Minister. Ms Robison too, was heavily criticised for her time in charge of the health portfolio, and she has become Deputy First Minister.

If Mr Matheson presides over an improving health service, the amount of political capital he’ll gain could propel him on to greater heights.