Swinney shamed as NHS hits all-time low

Poll shows record number dissatisfied with health service

- DAVID WALKER Scottish Politics Reporter

JOHN SWINNEY has been left humiliated as satisfaction with the NHS has dropped to record low levels under his stewardship.

The First Minister vowed to fix health services when he took office but has overseen new record highs in waiting times across departments.

The situation has become so bad that Public Health Scotland (PHS) has changed the way it records waiting times, removing thousands of cases and being accused of "fiddling" the statistics to make them look better for the SNP administration.

Health Secretary Neil Gray has been unable to improve treatment times, with doctors fearing the worse heading into winter.

The Scottish Household Survey revealed that in 2024, just 61% of Scots said they were satisfied with the quality of local health services - the lowest level on record since the data was first collected in 2007.0 Satisfication plummeted by six points on the previous year and a massive 25 points since 2014.

To make matters worse for the SNP, in parts of Scotland satisfaction dipped below 50% with those in North Lanarkshire (47%) angriest about the NHS. In South Lanarkshire and Aberdeen just 51% were happy with their health service.