UK Government's cost of living crisis puts squeeze on NHS Grampian says MSP

SNP MSP Karen Adam has slammed the UK Government for putting increased pressure on NHS Grampian after new research revealed more than a quarter of Scots have sought NHS treatment due to the impact of the cost of living crisis on their health.

The damning report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the cost of living crisis had deepened a “cycle of health inequality” that was "failing our people and turning up the pressure on the NHS”.

With food prices continuing to soar and rapidly inflating energy bills making it difficult for people to keep warm, more people in Banffshire and Buchan Coast are having to seek out either physical or acute mental health treatment for conditions.

Ms Adam said: “This declining union is failing the people of Banffshire & Buchan Coast; failing to deliver affordable food and sustenance; failing to tackle rising energy costs and now failing them when it comes to their health.

“Whether it’s from neglect or threat of privatisation, it’s no secret that our NHS is not safe in the hands of any UK Government in Westminster, and this pressure should be seen as a foreshadowing of what’s to come under their control. With both the Tories and Labour providing no alternative to the brutal impact of UK control, the Scottish Government is digging deep with what few powers it has to mitigate incompetent UK Government policy. It's clear that only in an independent Scotland can we do more than just mitigate and build a robust healthcare system”