Press release: Executive's health policies must be properly funded if they are to have the desired impact

07 Feb 2005

Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Finance Committee on the financial memorandum to the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill, Scottish NHS Confederation Director told MSPs that the Executive's health policies must be properly funded if they are to have the desired impact.

Ms Robertson said: "This Bill contains a number of very important provisions.  In particular, the legislation to ban smoking in public places, to modernise NHS dentistry and to expand and develop community pharmacy services are crucial to the Executive's health policy agenda of improving Scotland's health and providing services as close to patients as possible.  These policies could have significant cost implications in the short-term, however, and they must be properly funded if they are to have the desired impact."

Ms Robertson continued: "Due to a range of cost pressures, such as pay modernisation, NHS boards have only limited scope within their annual allocations to develop new services or improve existing ones. 

Expanding smoking cessation services, increasing preventive dentistry and developing the clinical element of pharmaceutical care services are all excellent, cost-effective service developments which will contribute to the improvement of both health and health care, and, if necessary, the Executive should be prepared to provide additional financial support to NHS boards to ensure that they are taken forward."

Ends

Notes for editors

1. The Scottish NHS Confederation is an independent membership body representing the majority of Scotland's NHS boards and special health boards.  We are committed to improving health policy and practice.
2. The Scottish NHS Confederation will be giving oral evidence on Tuesday 8 February from 10AM, to the Finance Committee of the Scottish Parliament in Committee Room 2, on the Financial Memorandum to the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill. 

Contact details

For further information contact:  Donald Crichton on 07775582123 or Susan Aitken on 07813346587.

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