Readers’ letters: NHS maintenance matters


According to the government’s Annual State of NHS Scotland Assets and Facilities, published in 2021, “backlog can be reduced either through direct investment on the existing estate or through new buildings to replace older ones”. The latter is being pursued with new facilities in Edinburgh, Airdrie and Fort William. According to the report “over the next five years the entire capital budget is already committed”. Any significant Investment is therefore limited until 2026 at the earliest.
There is of course a third option of improving the efficiency of existing buildings and selling off less efficient buildings, ploughing back the proceeds into backlog maintenance. Questions need to be answered. Are 200 hospitals too many? Why is so much space, up to 1 million square metres, given to non frontline healthcare use? Why are NHS offices still providing over the target 8-10 square metres per desk and 1 person to 1 desk when more staff are working remotely?
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Hide AdCommenting on the equivalent 2015 assets and facilities report the then Health Secretary Shona Robison said that NHS “facilities deliver value for money, are safe, and are fit for purpose”. I would question if any of that is true today. As Tory health spokesman Sandesh Gulhane states, the figures are “a damning indictment of how the nationalists have shamefully neglected our health service”. He, like other politicians, offer no solutions however. It’s surely time for working together to tackle this most pressing of issues.
Neil Anderson, Craigmount Grove North, Edinburgh
No sir not yes sir
Taken in by Labour Party Leaders’ lies, we voted for them, thinking that this government would abolish the House of Lords.
The House of Lords was set up to be impartial. It has become the ‘Yes Sir’ vote for the current government. Previously overfull of Conservatives, Starmer is stuffing in Labour supporters to outnumber them. Another election and the treasury will be unable to meet the financial demands of this expensive, ever-expanding mass of robotic voters that the rest of us do not want.
This is no longer the government we voted for. Scotland would do better governing itself.
Elizabeth Scott, Simpson Loan, Edinburgh
Labour betrayal
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Hide AdThe Labour government’s early months in office have been marked by a series of missteps that betray Scotland’s values and interests. From their ill-considered decision to surrender the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, disregarding the wishes of the Chagossians, to their damaging domestic policies, this government has shown a troubling disregard for self-determination and fairness.
Scotland has a proud history of contributing to global causes, often standing for the principles of freedom and self-governance. Labour’s decision on the Chagos Islands undermines this legacy, as it sacrifices a strategic British territory for short-term diplomatic gains. This echoes John Buchan’s warning: “The true greatness of a nation lies in its fidelity to its promises.” The Chagossians, who were excluded from negotiations, deserved better.
Domestically, Labour’s economic choices are no less troubling. Their inheritance tax raid on farms will disproportionately harm Scotland’s rural communities, many of which are family-run and unable to exploit the seven-year gifting rule. Meanwhile, Labour allocates £536 million to overseas agricultural projects, effectively prioritising foreign farmers over our own.
For Scotland’s pensioners, the outlook is grim. Labour’s policies, including their National Insurance hike, place further strain on those already struggling with rising costs. Pensioners, who have contributed so much to our society, deserve protection, not punitive measures. Labour’s claim of a ‘Budget for Growth’ rings hollow as our economy shrinks and pensioners suffer.
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Hide AdAdding insult to injury, Labour’s hostility towards Scotland’s vital oil and gas sector threatens jobs and energy security. The North Sea, a cornerstone of our economy, is treated as an expendable relic rather than a critical asset for a fair transition to renewable energy.
Adam Smith once noted, “The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations.” Labour’s disregard for our industries risks deepening that tragedy.
Labour’s policy choices are political, not economic necessities. If they truly sought to address the budget deficit, they could reconsider their £20 billion green transport package or overseas spending. Instead, they break election promises not to raise taxes on working people, showing contempt for the voters who trusted them.
Scotland deserves better—a government that values our contributions, respects our industries, and honours the principles of fairness and self-determination. Will Labour admit their mistakes and reset their agenda in 2025, or will they persist in policies that betray both Scotland and the UK?
Alastair Majury, Dunblane
Empty promises
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Hide AdStephen Gethins MP, of the SNP (Scotsman, December 21) says that the only way to tackle the populist right, both here and abroad, is to expose their empty promises, ie promises that cannot be kept. He is probably correct.
However, empty promises, coming from someone in the SNP, is a bit rich. How about this for empty promises, or promises not kept - council tax reform, reduce educational attainment gaps, reduce NHS waiting lists, reduce drug death figures, upgrade the A9.
William Ballantine, Bo'ness, West Lothian
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