Sarwar pledges to slash NHS waiting times and end 8am GP appointment ‘scramble’

Anas Sarwar has pledged to slash waiting times and end the 8am “scramble” for a GP appointment as part of his party’s plans to “fix the mess” in the health service.

As the Holyrood election campaign enters its first weekend, the Scottish Labour leader said “people feel Scotland is stuck” after two decades of the SNP – and that this is “no clearer than in our NHS”.

He said if his party is elected it would “get the basics right” with a plan that includes slashing waiting times, bringing back the family doctor and using new technology to speed up diagnosis and treatment.

It would also see the creation of skilled jobs with 9,000 new apprenticeships, and the building of new homes and the cutting of Government waste to make life more affordable, Mr Sarwar said.

He added: “After 20 years of the SNP, too many people feel Scotland is stuck, and nowhere is that clearer than in our NHS.

“Waiting lists are soaring, patients are being let down and the SNP has run out of road.

“I’m standing to fix the mess, get the basics right and build a better future for Scotland.

“That starts with an NHS that is there when you need it, cutting waiting lists, ending the scramble for a GP appointment and bringing back the family doctor.

“But it also means creating more opportunity, making life more affordable and making sure government is focused on the priorities of working people.

“On May 7, vote Scottish Labour on both votes for the change Scotland needs.”

Labour pointed out that despite SNP promises of an NHS recovery plan in 2021, waiting lists have risen by more than 237,000, and there are now 780,000 ongoing “waits” in NHS Scotland.

The number of waits of more than two years has also risen five-fold since the last election, from 1,200 in 2021 to 6,400 today.

Mr Sarwar will tell voters on Saturday that as a former NHS dentist the “crisis” facing the health service is “personal” to him, and that Scotland cannot afford another five years of the same.

Health Secretary Neil Gray insisted that under under John Swinney’s leadership the NHS has “turned a corner”.

“Waiting times are down, GP numbers are up, thousands more operations are being performed and walk-in GP centres are opening in communities across the country,” he said.

“Meanwhile all Labour can do is attack our NHS, with some even going as far as to say they would ditch the GP walk-in clinics.

“On May 7, people in Scotland can choose John Swinney’s strong leadership, which is delivering for our NHS.”