Financial constraints on the health service and fears about stress and burn-out among NHS staff have been highlighted by doctors’ leaders.
The Scottish Government and health boards across the country have struggled with many challenges over the last year, according to Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland.
These include the ageing population, rising expectations from patients and their families about care and the expectation that levels of care should be the same at weekends as during the working week.
Dr Keighley used his New Year message to argue that changes to the health service should be made by evolution, not revolution.
Any reforms should be made through a system-wide approach to the NHS and should only be brought in “once there is a clear indication that these changes will produce sustainable benefit and not merely shuffle the deckchairs”, he said.
The Government and NHS managers need to focus on more consolidation and evolution of existing human and other resources and services.
Labour health spokesman Neil Findlay said: “There is no doubt the SNP leadership will be viewing 2014 as the year of the referendum on independence but I believe this strong and honest appraisal of our NHS should mean that beginning to deliver a health service for the 21st century should shoot straight to the top of the priority list.”