05 February 2010

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has criticised NHS funding inequalities which will hit patient care in the region to the tune of £4.7million.

Her comments came after NHS Highland’s Chief Executive Dr Roger Gibbins confirmed that the local health board, which had assumed uplift on the General Allocation of 3.15% for the financial year 2010-11, would actually be faced with a reduced uplift of 2.15%.

This means the board will have to find another £4.7million of efficiency savings, making £14 million in total for the financial year 2010-2011.

Rhoda Grant said: "The Highlands and Islands is being penalised through the transfer of the Arbuthnott system of funding to the NRAC formula.

"Patients were already facing cuts of £9.3million, now they will be facing £14million of cuts.

"A similar situation exists across Scotland, due to the under funding of our health services.

"I will be pursuing this issue in parliament to put pressure on the Health Minister to deliver appropriate funding in this vital sector."

The decision on reduced funding has been made by the Scottish Government even though the Technical Advisory Group on Resource Allocation (TAGRA), which was set up to examine the changing costs of health care across Scotland and which has met four times in the past year, has yet to give its findings.

Rhoda Grant said: "The Scottish Government has reduced the uplift before considering TAGRA’s findings.

" I also find it ironic that the Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon should today criticise the Nuffield Trust, which is claiming NHS Scotland is failing to provide best value, for not taking into account the increased costs of delivering health care in remote and rural areas when she herself refuses to take this into account."