Major NHS shake-up will see number of Scottish health boards cut to just two
It is understood the move will help to cut down on the number of highly-paid NHS managers and duplication
John Swinney is set to cut the number of Scottish health boards from 14 to just two.
The First Minister will set out his programme for government, detailing his plans for the year ahead, on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Swinney has said the statement will include ambitious reforms to the NHS.
It is understood this includes dramatically slashing the number of health boards in a bid to cut down on the number of highly-paid managers and duplication. Health board chief executives can earn up to £200,000 a year.
There are reports this could divide NHS Scotland into north and south, and others which suggest it could be split into east and west. There are other reports suggesting the three island health boards (NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles) would not be included in any mergers.
The proposals to reduce the number of health boards is a “pretty open secret” within the sector, however there are hopes it could lead to “genuine reform”.
Scottish Labour has previously promised it would cut the number of territorial health boards to just three if it had won the Holyrood election in May.
Dame Jackie Baillie MSP, the party’s acting leader, said she would work with the SNP on these proposals.
She said: “The SNP have stolen a number of good Labour ideas, but contact with the SNP often means those ideas are not carried out effectively.
“This should not just be about saving money but service improvement and putting more money into prevention and primary care.
“Reorganisation cannot be a cover for cuts.”
The First Minister is also expected to announce cuts to the number of quangos in his programme for government. It is thought this could reduce the number of quangos from 135 to double figures.
While a host of public service reforms are being promised in his programme for government, there are concerns this will include huge cuts as the government will need to plug a £5 billion black hole in the public finances by the end of the decade.
It is thought this could involve cutting up to 20,000 public sector jobs.
Ahead of his statement this afternoon, Mr Swinney said: “The government came into office with a commitment to deliver a 100-day programme, and the government is going to do exactly that.
“And that’s the first stage of me repaying the trust that the people of Scotland have put in my government, which is to deliver what I said to the public I would deliver.”
When it comes to public service reform, he added: “We made clear before the election that was going to be necessary.
“I want to make sure that the programme for government reflects the ambitions I set out in my election manifesto, which was all about making sure that we tackle the cost-of-living challenges that people face in Scotland, that we deliver improvements in our public services.”
Mr Swinney will give his statement on the programme for government at 3pm on Tuesday afternoon, and the statement will be followed by a government debate on the statement.
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