Latest news with #NeilGray
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NHS Grampian submits plan to tackle £45m deficit
NHS Grampian has submitted a recovery plan to the Scottish government in a bid to ease its financial crisis. The health board said in April a plan was needed to reduce a £45m deficit forecast for next year. Since then, NHS Grampian has been escalated to stage four out of five on NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework. The stage warns of "significant risks" to a health board's delivery, quality, financial performance or safety. More stories from North East Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Listen to news from North East Scotland on BBC Sounds The Scottish government has loaned NHS Grampian £90m over the last two years. The health board has confirmed it had provided documentation and continued to liaise with the Scottish government. In a statement to the Scottish Parliament last week, Health Secretary Neil Gray said NHS Grampian's deficit for the 2024-25 financial year was about £65m. He said was the largest of any health board over that time period. Accounting firm KPMG has started what is called a "whole system diagnostic" to help inform a package of support for NHS Grampian. It is due to finish that work by the end of this month. The Scottish government said it continued to support NHS Grampian's board to develop a financial recovery plan in line with the timeframe agreed. Ministers step up scrutiny of NHS Grampian over spending concerns NHS Grampian given £67m Scottish government loan
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
NHS Grampian submits financial recovery plan to ministers
NHS Grampian has submitted a recovery plan to the Scottish government in a bid to ease its financial health board said in April a plan was needed to reduce a £45m deficit forecast for next then, NHS Grampian has been escalated to stage four out of five on NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework. The stage warns of "significant risks" to a health board's delivery, quality, financial performance or safety. The Scottish government has loaned NHS Grampian £90m over the last two health board has confirmed it had provided documentation and continued to liaise with the Scottish a statement to the Scottish Parliament last week, Health Secretary Neil Gray said NHS Grampian's deficit for the 2024-25 financial year was about £ said was the largest of any health board over that time firm KPMG has started what is called a "whole system diagnostic" to help inform a package of support for NHS is due to finish that work by the end of this Scottish government said it continued to support NHS Grampian's board to develop a financial recovery plan in line with the timeframe agreed.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cancer care 'time-bomb' warning over doctor shortages in Scotland
Doctors have warned cancer patients in Scotland will wait longer for treatment and diagnosis unless more specialists are reports from the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) show that Scotland currently has a 25% shortage of radiologists and a 19% shortage of oncologists, with these shortfalls expected to rise by RCR described cancer care as a "ticking time bomb" and warned that a patient's risk of death can increase by 10% for every month treatment is Secretary Neil Gray told the BBC the government is "investing heavily" to recruit more oncologists and radiologists. Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the RCR, said: "Patients are being failed by a chronic lack of radiologists and oncologists."Despite the best efforts of NHS staff, there aren't enough doctors to ensure prompt, safe and effective care and the outlook is bleak."The government must train up more radiologists and oncologists to defuse this ticking time bomb for cancer diagnosis and treatment."The two RCR reports show the results of a "workforce census" of clinical radiology and clinical oncology staff in show regional disparities in staff shortages, with 34 radiologists currently needed to meet demand in the north of Scotland, whereas nine are needed in south-east north of Scotland is also expected to see a 43% shortfall in the number of oncologists by 2029, compared with 31% across Scotland as a whole. Neil Gray told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We've got a 40% increase in the number of radiologists from 10 years ago, and a 27% increase in the number of oncologists compared to 10 years ago, and we're supporting the training of more so that we can help to address the demand that there is in the system."He added there has been a increased demand on cancer services, and the NHS is treating more patients than it was 10 years added: "We need to both address the demand upon services, which is what we are seeking to do by reducing waiting times, but also seek to reduce the potential for people to have to seek cancer services by addressing the population health reasons as to why there is an increased level of cancer in society."The reports also detail a "retention crisis" among cancer specialists - the median age of consultant clinical radiologists leaving the NHS was 38 in 2024, compared with 58 the year in 10 leavers last year were also under the age of added that government is also investing in wellbeing measures to help improve staff retention.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Now health minister backs adding crack room to controversial 'shooting gallery' facility
A heroin shooting gallery may be extended to allow drug users to inhale crack cocaine without prosecution after the controversial move was yesterday backed by Scotland's Health Secretary. Neil Gray told MPs that the existing Glasgow drug consumption room pilot has 'limitations' because it only allows addicts to inject. He said there is 'international evidence' to support extending it to include an inhalation room, and the Scottish Government and Lord Advocate would consider the issue if there is an application by the operator of The Thistle. He also indicated support for considering further drug consumption rooms before the pilot scheme is evaluated. At Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee yesterday, Mr Gray said: 'I understand because of the changing nature of substance dependency that the current establishment of the facility on an injection facility basis may provide limitations, and there is international evidence to point to the relative success of inhalation facilities.' Bosses of the £2.3million 'safer consumption centre' in Glasgow first outlined proposals to set up an inhalation room for smoking crack cocaine within the facility in March. They hoped this would attract more addicts to the Scottish Government-financed clinic, which is run by the Glasgow City Council and NHS bosses. Laura Zeballos, deputy director of the Scottish Government's drugs policy division, yesterday said: 'There is international evidence that inhalation rooms are standard components of safer consumption facilities, we see that in many of the facilities in Germany, in Denmark and France, where their role in preventing respiratory harm is noted in the evidence base as a result.' Annemarie Ward, chief executive of Faces and Voices of Recovery, said: 'I'm deeply concerned. What Neil Gray is now floating is a further normalisation of drug use, this time by providing a publicly sanctioned space for people to inhale crack cocaine. Let's call this what it is: state-enabled self-destruction. 'The fact that this expansion is even being discussed before there's been any independent analysis of the Glasgow facility's impact should worry everyone. 'We are sprinting ahead with a radical public health experiment while bypassing basic evidence, democratic accountability, and common sense. 'The original injection facility was sold as a tightly controlled pilot — now we're talking about rolling out more sites, even as the drug death toll continues to mount and treatment access remains abysmal. 'We're giving out crack pipes, but we won't fund real rehab. ' Mr Gray said there is interest from other parts of Scotland for drug consumption rooms and they need to come forward with proposals. He said: 'That does not necessitate having to wait until the end of the pilot; that could happen before then.' Scottish Conservative drugs spokesman Annie Wells said: 'Neil Gray needs to drop this reckless plan and urgently confirm that his government will wait for a full report on their flagship facility before agreeing to support any more consumption rooms.' A Home Office minister yesterday said the Labour Government will not support drug consumption rooms and won't change laws to allow more to operate.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Health minister accused of ‘arrogance' for backing more drug consumption rooms
The SNP's health minister has been accused of 'arrogance' after backing a rollout of more drug consumption rooms before a pilot scheme in Glasgow has been evaluated. Neil Gray told members of the Scottish affairs committee that he would support proposals to establish more centres, despite concerns that the Thistle injection facility, which opened in January, is feeding, rather than tackling, drug addiction. Appearing before the committee via video link on Wednesday, Mr Gray said: 'Clearly, we will be evaluating the efficacy of the drug consumption facility at Glasgow during its pilot operation. 'If any other area in Scotland is looking to come forward with their own safe consumption facility, then they will need to come forward with those proposals. That does not necessitate having to wait until the end of the Glasgow pilot, that could happen before then.' Mr Gray told MPs investigating the work of the Thistle that Edinburgh was among the areas to have expressed interest in establishing drug consumption facilities. The Scottish Conservatives accused the SNP of failing to tackle 'a shameful level of drug deaths' and called on Mr Gray to confirm that his government would wait for a full report on the Thistle before agreeing to support more consumption rooms. Annie Wells, the party's shadow minister for drugs, said: 'This is a breathtaking display of arrogance from Neil Gray. 'Local people living near to the Thistle in Glasgow have recently described it as a warzone and are deeply concerned about rising criminal behaviour in their community, yet the SNP's health secretary wants to plough ahead with more of these facilities. 'Rather than put all his eggs in one basket, he should finally give his backing to the Right to Recovery Bill which would guarantee access to treatment for all those who need it.' The Thistle Centre opened earlier this year after a decade-long wrangle between the UK and Scottish governments, with the latter seeking an exemption from the Misuse of Drugs Act to ensure users of the facility are not prosecuted. Eventually, Scotland's top law officer ruled it would not be 'in the public interest' to seek to prosecute users of the service, which allows people to inject drugs, paving the way for it to open. Dame Diana Johnson, the Home Office minister, told the Scottish affairs committee that the UK Government does not support drug consumption facilities and would not be persuaded to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act if the UK's first legal drug consumption room in Glasgow is a success. She said: 'We look at evidence, we have experts, we have the ACMD (advisory council on the misuse of drugs) who offer advice, we look at evidence all the time. 'But I just really want to be clear with you, we do not support drug consumption facilities, it's not our policy and we will not be amending the Misuse of Drugs Act.' Angus MacDonald, the Liberal Democrat MP, said his 'jaw just dropped open' at the minister's statement and told her: 'You're basically condemning thousands of people to death, in my opinion.' He added: 'If the Thistle turns out to be a great success within a year, I would be so excited about rolling that out everywhere.' Dame Diana rejected his assertion, saying: 'I don't accept that, with the greatest of respect. This is not the only thing that we can do to deal with drug misuse and I think the UK Government is very clear that there are a number of measures that can be used.' Earlier this year, the Centre for Social Justice, a centre-Right think tank, warned that the consumption room is a 'disaster waiting to happen'. It said its research suggested the plan would not work as places that brought in similar measures had not delivered the promised results in tackling addiction.
