Sustained investment in Scotland contrasts with Tory vandalism of English NHS
Lansley visit greeted by protests

Bob Doris MSP has welcomed today's announcement that territorial NHS boards across Scotland will benefit from a real terms increase of 2.9 per cent in their funding in 2012-13, despite Westminster cuts to the Scottish budget.

The news comes on the same day that Westminster Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was greeted by protesters opposed to his changes to the English NHS, as he arrived to give a speech at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.

SNP MSP Mr Doris, who is the deputy convener of the Scottish Parliament's Health Committee, said: "The contrast between what's happening to the NHS north and south of the border could not be greater.

"In Scotland, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon is delivering a funding package for NHS boards that the Health Committee has acknowledged as being very generous, despite the public spending squeeze forced on us by the Westminster government. The SNP is fully committed to protecting our NHS as a public service and to maintaining investment in frontline health services.

"In England, however, Andrew Lansley and his colleagues in the Con-Lib coalition are systematically dismantling the NHS bit by bit.

"Thank goodness our Scottish NHS is independent and fully controlled by the Scottish Parliament. Without our own Parliament, the Tories would be able to vandalise our health services as they are doing in England.

"The example of how Scotland is able to protect our independent NHS makes an unanswerable case for the Scottish Parliament having full control of all of our own affairs, free from Westminster control of the purse strings. It's time for Scotland to be able to take action to protect all of our public services as we do the NHS, but we can only do that with independence."

Note:

Full details of the NHS Scotland spending settlement are at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/02/NHSfunding10022012