24 February 2006
NHS health boards in Scotland are to receive an above-inflation average funding increase of 7.25%, bringing their allocation to £6.5bn, Health Minister Andy Kerr announced this week.
He said this investment for 2006/07 would help the NHS to improve standards for patients while continuing to force down waiting times.
Among the 14 health boards, five have been given a minimum increase of 6.75%, with NHS Greater Glasgow receiving £1.6bn.
The biggest percentage rise is 8.14% for NHS Borders. NHS Lothian will receive a 7.16% increase, resulting in an allocation of £868.8m. NHS Highland (£419.6m) and NHS Fife (£430.9m) each receive increases of 7.98%.
The revenue allocations are calculated using a formula that takes account of the population in the NHS board areas, by age, gender, level of deprivation and the proportion who are living in remote and rural areas.
The allocations also include the funding of special health boards such as the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Education for Scotland.
The nine special boards will receive a total of £849.9m.Kerr pointed out that the Executive had published, late last year, its strategy for health, which underlined its commitment to transform the health service radically.
He said: 'I want boards across the country to use this funding to deliver the highest standards of patient care as locally as possible, and as specialist as necessary.'
Kerr added: 'We have made great progress in the past year.
'Scotland's big three killers – cancer, heart disease and stroke – are all down, waiting times are at a record low while staff numbers are at a record high. I am determined that these trends will continue.'
Opposition parties claimed that despite the injection of more cash, NHS services in Scotland were not improving.
The Scottish Conservatives claimed waiting times and lists were still too long and that the NHS was being driven by political targets and priorities rather than local service needs.
The Scottish National Party said more money had to be concentrated on patient care rather than pure delivery.
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said the 7.25% increase put the 1.9% rise for councils into perspective.
Cosla president Pat Watters added: 'We would not knock extra spending on health. We just wish local government and the vital services we provided were treated in a similar way to the rest of the public sector.'
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