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Budget - what it means for health
14/11/2007
Patient-focused services and investment aimed at helping Scots live longer and healthier lives with reduced inequalities are at the heart of the Health and Wellbeing spending plans outlined today, Cabinet Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said.
The Health and Wellbeing portfolio is to be responsible for public spending of £11.2 billion in 2008-09, or £2,200 for every person living in Scotland, rising to £12.2 billion in three years time. This comes amid what the Scottish Government believes to be the tightest UK spending settlement since devolution.
Ms Sturgeon said it was vital to Scotland's economic future that every penny of this funding supported people in leading longer and healthier lives, with a particular focus on areas and communities with the worst health records.
To help achieve a healthier Scotland, the 2007 spending review provides for:
- £350 million of new money on health improvement and better public health, including £85 million (£20.1 million/£30.1 million/£35.1 million) over three years to reduce harm done by alcohol, £3 million a year on further action to reduce smoking and a £11.5 million a year programme on diet and physical activity for health and to prevent obesity;
- investment of £270 million (£90 million a year) to ensure that by the end of 2011, nobody will wait longer than 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment for routine conditions, and £30 million (£10 million each year) to ensure more flexible access to primary care
- investment of more than £1.6 billion in housing and regeneration (£475million/£568 million/£572 million), including new and better housing across Scotland. By 2010/11the budget will be 19 per cent higher than this year's baseline.
- investment in prevention, screening and early detection of serious illnesses with a new immunisation programme to protect women against cervical cancer (£18 million/£18.5 million/£27.5 million), a commitment of £12 million/£21 million/£21 million to screen people admitted to hospital for MRSA and continued action to help prevent the spread of infection, and a £16 million/£14 million/£11 million national screening programme to detect serious illnesses early
- £97 million (£20 million/£32 million/£45 million) to phase out prescription charges to ensure that sick people are not financially disadvantaged
- investment of £43.3 million/£47.3 million/£43.3 million in sport to increase participation and improve sporting performance, contributing to a range of outcomes including better physical and mental health. In addition, £4.1 million/£6.6 million/£11.6 million will be invested in delivering a successful Commonwealth Games in Scotland in 2014
Ms Sturgeon said:
"Today's spending plans underline and underpin our commitment to improve Scotland's health, tackle inequalities, and deliver a first class, patient-focussed NHS. We are delivering on this commitment despite the tight settlement we received from Westminster.
"It's our priority to focus on measures which improve health and prevent illness. There can be no doubt that reducing alcohol and tobacco abuse leads to healthier lifestyles, so these will be key spending priorities over the next three years.
"Tackling the misuse of alcohol in Scotland is a significant challenge, not least because of the tragic effects that misuse can have in terms of heart and liver disease, cancer and problems in families and communities. The £85m of additional investment will fund a radical range of measures to reduce alcohol harm as part of a forthcoming long term strategy.
"We will also deliver on our pledge of immunising young women against cervical cancer, and expand the existing national screening programme which helps detect potentially serious illness early and targets anticipatory treatment.
"Reducing health inequalities with action across all the Health and Wellbeing responsibilities is critical to meeting our objective of a healthier Scotland. Our spending plans target resources in particular at communities most at risk of poor health.
"They allow us to increase the supply of good quality, sustainable housing, to tackle poverty and deprivation at its roots, and to promote equality, as well as strengthening primary care health care services in our most deprived areas and expanding early years support for those most in need.
"All of this needs accessible, responsive and person-centred services. This means services that are available as quickly and as locally as possible and at times that suit service users as well as those providing the services.
"We will fully support the NHS in achieving a maximum wait of 18 weeks from GP to treatment for routine patients by 2011, remove the tax on ill-health by phasing out prescription charges and invest in specialist childrens' services.
"We will also establish a pilot MRSA screening programme in 2008/09 in line with recent expert recommendations, and this will determine the shape of the national MRSA screening programme to be rolled out from 2009/10.
"Securing the Commonwealth Games for Glasgow and Scotland in 2014 provides a once in a generation opportunity to not only host one of the world's major sporting events, but also to act as a catalyst to change peoples lives for the better whether through greater participation in sport, increased physical activity or in education learning."