Patients are having their operations delayed because of the SNP’s failure to staff the NHS properly, says the Scottish Conservatives leader.
Ruth Davidson told Nicola Sturgeon that operating theatres are lying empty and patients left in limbo because the Scottish Government has deprived the health service of the nurses it needs.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Ms Davidson said: “After 10 years of this SNP Government it has failed to do the long-term planning to build up a sustainable workforce in the NHS.”
Ms Sturgeon hit back saying the number of qualified nurses and midwives has increased by 5% since they came to power, with more 2,000 extra staff.
“We are choosing investment in our NHS, Ruth Davidson is choosing tax cuts for the wealthiest,” she said.
Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, then accused the SNP of leader “playing a game of Russian Roulette with the constitution”, saying Ms Sturgeon should focus instead on the “shameful gap between the richest and the rest” in Scotland.
She said that UCAS figures published on Thursday reveal that, of the extra students going to university since the First Minister took office, there are 10 times more from better off backgrounds than the poorest ones.
“It’s clear that the SNP’s real priority is imposing another independence referendum on the people of Scotland rather than tackling poverty” she said after FMQs.
Ms Sturgeon accused the Lothians MSP of “grandstanding”.
“These problems didn’t start when the SNP took office, these problems developed under generations of Labour government in this country,” the First Minster said.
“What this government has done is start to make progress to tackle these problems – getting more young people from poor background into university, tackling child poverty.”