NHS Orkney has been awarded record funding for the coming year from the Scottish Government . The local health board has been given a record budget of £57.1 million for 2022/23 to recover after the dreadful impact of the pandemic.

Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Emma Roddick has welcomed the funding for NHS Orkney and the additional staff now recruited to the service.

There are also an additional 149.2 Whole Time Equivalent staff, or a 32.8% increase since the SNP came into government.

Emma Roddick said:

“We always appreciate the hard work and dedication of our NHS staff in Orkney but never more so than over the past two years and the SNP Scottish Government has recognised that by providing them with record funding for 2022/23.

“This will go a long way in ensuring that NHS Orkney is well on its way to recovery from the pandemic.

“In Scotland, we have the best funded NHS per person and the highest paid healthcare staff in the UK. The SNP Scottish Government recognised the hard work and effort of NHS workers by giving them the biggest pay rise in the history of devolution.”