Swinney says SNP improving NHS as lung and heart health ‘MOTs’ plan announced

It is “demonstrable” that the SNP is improving the NHS, First Minister John Swinney has said, as he announced that an SNP government would open centres to provide so-called MOTs for lung and heart health, if elected in May.

The centres, which would open in community settings including football stadiums, shopping centres and workplaces, would be modelled on a Japanese initiative.

Scots would be screened for cancer, COPD and heart disease, the party said, in a bid to reduce the pressure felt by the NHS.

Mr Swinney said they would work with local communities to decide how many one-stop shops would be available around the country.

He told the Press Association: “I want to see a network in place in accessible locations to make sure that people get the early intervention and the support to ensure that we identify those at risk of lung and heart disease, and that we can take the appropriate steps to support individuals as a consequence.”

Asked about the cost of the centres, he said: “These would be undertaken in partnership with local organisations and the Government already has an early intervention programme that is delivering services of this type around the country, and I want to make sure that network is expanded in partnership with a range of local organisations and communities across Scotland.”

Mr Swinney, who was visiting a pharmacy in Calderbank, North Lanarkshire, on Wednesday, said that as the population ages and the country’s healthcare system faces growing pressure, proactive measures to keep people healthier are “more important than ever”.

Commenting on the plans earlier in the day, he said: “By bringing check-ups and advice into everyday community settings – from workplaces and pharmacies to football clubs and shopping centres – we can reach people who might not otherwise come forward, particularly in more disadvantaged communities where the burden of ill-health is greatest.”

Other political parties have suggested the SNP cannot be trusted to improve the NHS but Mr Swinney said that his party is doing so.

He said: “We set out a plan to improve the National Health Service and I identified that what we had to do to make that effective was to reduce long waits in the National Health Service.

“We’ve seen those long waits reduce for outpatients and inpatients for nine months in a row, with a 63% fall in outpatient waits of over 12 months in the latest data that was reported yesterday.

“So, with a rising number of GPs in the country, with an expansion of GP walk-in centres and significant falls in long waits and in waiting lists, then I think it’s demonstrable that the SNP is succeeding in the plans to improve the National Health Service and to deliver for the people of Scotland.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The SNP are heading into this election with a series of broken promises, so no-one will take any fresh pledges seriously.

“They cannot be trusted with your health. They do not deserve a single vote from anyone who’s struggling to get the vital care they need.

“After 19 years of uninterrupted SNP failure on healthcare, Scotland deserves change with fairness at its heart.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are committed to delivering first-rate healthcare – so you can see your GP, dentist or mental health professional when you need them.

“If you like the sound of that, you should back the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach regional ballot paper.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Sandesh Gulhane said the SNP cannot be trusted to deliver on its promises regarding the NHS.

He said: “John Swinney has had two decades to deliver for Scottish patients but he’s presiding over a permanent crisis in our NHS.

“If this was such a good idea, he wouldn’t have waited until an election period to announce it.

“The SNP cannot be trusted to deliver on their pledges in relation to Scotland’s health service, considering they’ve not met their pledge to eradicate one-year waits for patients or their own cancer waiting-time targets for a decade.

“Swinney will spend the next five years obsessing over independence rather than the NHS. That is why Scots must use their peach ballot paper to vote Scottish Conservative wherever you live in Scotland to stop an SNP majority.”

Mr Swinney drew similar criticism from Scottish Labour, who said the NHS is now “even worse” five years after the SNP said it would recover the service.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “It takes a brass neck for John Swinney to pretend he’s going to fix the mess he made of our NHS.

“Five years ago the SNP promised to deliver an NHS recovery and now things are even worse, so no-one is buying this desperate spin.

“The truth is John Swinney and the SNP have been in government for nearly two decades – if they knew how to improve things, they would have done it by now.

“The only way to fix the crisis in our NHS and give Scots the health service they deserve is by voting Scottish Labour on May 7 and getting rid of this failing SNP government.”