Writing for Reform Scotland, Shadow Health Secretary pledges to cut territorial boards from 14 to 3 as part of reform plans
Jackie Baillie, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, has today outlined how she will deliver change in the NHS, if Labour is elected in 2026.
The proposals, in an article for Reform Scotland, are the latest to emerge from a series of pieces by clinicians, service users and politicians for the think tank’s NHS2048 programme, which explores how the ailing NHS can be restored to better health.
Baillie outlined her view that the NHS can cope with the needs of a changing population, but suggested a number of reforms including:
- An NHS Recovery Plan focused on preventative healthcare
- Reducing the number of territorial NHS Boards, which she says are “excessive and inefficient”, from 14 to 3
- Convening a National Clinical Council to advise government ministers
Baillie’s full article can be read here.
In the blog, Jackie Baillie says:
“The founding of the National Health Service remains one of the Labour Party’s – and our nation’s – proudest and most important achievements. At its heart is the promise that if you are ill or have a serious accident, you will receive the care that you need – free at the point of use, whatever your background or circumstances. It’s a matter of deep regret, therefore, that some 75 years on from the founding of our NHS, too many of our fellow citizens will rightly feel that this binding promise largely exists in theory only.
“The pandemic was the lightning conductor which exposed a system already under pressure. The challenges across the NHS are not new, but they are certainly more acute now. The recovery stage of the pandemic must be seen as a first step of generational reform; not just fixing the problem without confronting the challenges that have not been addressed since the Christie Commission report.
“There are, of course, some in society who believe that the NHS is no longer able to meet the needs of a growing population – one that is living longer and with comorbidities. I also hear it argued that the NHS will never be able to keep up with the pace and change of innovation in global healthcare. It was dismaying to hear that NHS Scotland chief executives had met behind closed doors and mooted the idea of a two-tier health service.
“I think they are wrong. I refuse to believe this is as good as it gets – the Labour Party created the NHS, and we will always fight for our NHS. It is true, however, that the status quo is not working – and more of the same simply will not cut it.”
Chris Deerin, Director of Reform Scotland, said:
“The NHS is in real crisis, and it’s time leading politicians stepped up and explained how they intend to fix it. There can be no avoiding the problem, for the good of patients, medics and the nation as a whole.
“Jackie Baillie has been an MSP since 1999, and if polling is correct there is a chance that she may be our Health Secretary in just a couple of years.
“It’s important that we hear what her plans are to give Scotland a better, reformed NHS. It is possible to be both a passionate supporter of the concept of the NHS, while also being a constructive critic of the way healthcare is currently being delivered. Solutions are urgently required.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Jackie Baillie’s full blog can be read here.
- Reform Scotland, a charity registered in Scotland, is a public policy institute which works to promote increased economic prosperity, opportunity for all, and more effective public services. Reform Scotland is independent of political parties and any other organisations. It is funded by donations from private individuals, charitable trusts and corporate organisations. Its Director is Chris Deerin and Alison Payne is the Research Director. Both work closely with the Trustee Board, chaired by Lord McConnell, which meets regularly to review the research and policy programme.
- For media contact Message Matters (Andy Maciver, 07855 261 244, [email protected])