- Veterans facing homelessness reaches five-year high
- Record high levels of people stuck in hospital
- August A&E waiting times the worst on record for the month
- Operations activity still well down on pre-pandemic levels
- Cole-Hamilton comments on NHS dental deregistration in Dumfries & Galloway
Veterans facing homelessness reaches five-year high
Commenting on the news that in 2023/24 there were 935 homeless applications which included veterans, the highest figure since 2018/19, Scottish Liberal Democrat Veterans Spokesperson Bruce Wilson said:
Our veterans have dedicated their lives to public service and duty, putting themselves in harm’s way to do so. The fact that so many of them face homelessness is an utter disgrace.
No meaningful action has been taken to improve the transition to civilian life for veterans. Instead, service members have relied heavily on the charitable sector, struggling for funding.
The SNP have taken an axe to the housing budget and slashed funding for councils. They’ve completely failed to build the thousands of homes promised for social rent.
Scottish Liberal Democrats would support our veterans, treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve. That’s why we would drastically improve the standard of Ministry of Defence housing and waive application fees for indefinite leave for members of the armed forces on discharge. We would build more homes, bring thousands of empty homes back into use and re-establish social rent as a valid, long-term option.
Record high levels of people stuck in hospital
Responding to new Public Health Scotland figures which showed 2,009 people were stuck in hospital in August due to their discharge being delayed, the highest number of people delayed since the guidelines were updated in 2016, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:
Scotland’s care services are in crisis and the fault lies squarely at the door of this SNP Government. Being stuck in hospital unnecessarily fails patients, contributes to record-breaking waits in A&E and leads to dangerous ambulance delays.
It couldn’t be clearer that the SNP’s planned ministerial takeover of social care, that doesn’t have the support of unions or council leaders, should be scrapped immediately.
Scottish Liberal Democrats believe the money earmarked for this billion-pound bureaucracy should be spent on frontline services and staff struggling right now. Only we have a plan to fix the crisis in social care, relieving pressure on the NHS through a minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher and enabling people to leave hospital when they are fit to do so.
August A&E waiting times the worst on record for the month
Responding to new figures showing only 69.4% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in August 2024, the worst on record for the month of August, while 13,303 people waited over 8 hours and 5,407 waited over 12 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:
The summer usually sees shorter waiting times at A&E but this year we saw the worst ever waiting times for the month of August.
Under the SNP the NHS is teetering on the brink, staff are overwhelmed, and thousands are waiting far too long to be seen.
As we are now moving quickly towards the winter months we have to see urgent action from the SNP now to prevent a crisis in just a few months time.
Scottish Liberal Democrats would overhaul the SNP’s failed NHS Recovery Plan, get you fast access to GPs and help people leave hospital on time through a new minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher.
Operations activity still well down on pre-pandemic levels
Responding to Public Health Scotland figures published today showing that 15.1% fewer operations were planned between September 2023 and August 2024, than were planned in the 12 months prior to the pandemic, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:
These statistics represent patients waiting in pain and anxiety. Years on from the pandemic, services are still being overwhelmed, backlogs remain and essential operations are being delayed unacceptably.
In total, more than 470,000 operations have been lost.
It’s been three years since the Scottish Government’s NHS Recovery Plan was published, but there are no signs of progress. Instead of burying his head in the sand, Neil Gray should face up to the undeniable crisis in our NHS and come up with a new strategy that delivers for patients and staff alike.
A new plan must prioritise the recruitment and retention of staff. Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called for a burnout prevention strategy and a staff and social care assembly that puts the knowledge of experienced professionals at the heart of the rebuilding our NHS.
Cole-Hamilton comments on NHS dental deregistration in Dumfries & Galloway
Responding to the news that almost 2,000 more NHS patients are facing deregistration by their dental practice in Dumfries and Galloway, where there are already no dentists in the region accepting new NHS registrations, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:
This will come as a real blow for patients in Dumfries and Galloway, and it exposes the alarming scale of the crisis in NHS dentistry.
The SNP have left NHS dentistry to rot. People are in agony and can’t get the care they need; we know that many are resorting to drastic measures, like DIY dentistry, purchasing tools off Amazon to do the job themselves.
Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have plans to end dental deserts and bring back local NHS dentists. We want to see ministers rewrite their failed NHS Recovery Plan, prioritise workforce planning and boost the number of dentists taking on NHS patients.