JOHN SWINNEY

FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND EVERY SECOND MONDAY

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I KNOW that nothing is more important to Record readers than our NHS.

We rely on it literally from the day we are born right until the end of our lives.

And while I hear from so many about the extraordinary care they receive from our doctors and nurses, I know too many have had to wait too long for treatment in the past, particularly as a result of backlogs after the pandemic.

I was not willing to accept that - so I've put a plan in place to fix it. And it is starting to pay off.

The latest figures show that NHS waiting lists have fallen in Scotland while they are rising south of the border.