NHS Scotland.

The National Health Service in Scotland is separate from that in rUK. Having said that, if there are cuts to the funding of the NHS in England it will have serious implications to the public health service in Scotland. This is because of the Barnet Formula, the percentage of taxes paid into the UK Exchequer by Scots and returned to Scotland in order to fund services here. If the UK Government decides to return a smaller proportion of taxes paid by those living in Scotland (in real terms) via the Barnet formula, then it puts the Scottish Government in a dilemma on whether to continue to fund the services in Scotland to the same level as before, or make similar cuts.

The Scottish Parliament is the body which passes the Scottish Budget – that is where the Scottish Government has allocated the funding to its chosen priorities.

Is the NHS in Scotland any different to that in rUK?

In Scotland, most NHS services are provided free of charge. They are paid for via your taxes, and free to you at point of need. This includes:

• GP practices
• local pharmacies
• hospitals
• clinics
• emergency services
• eye examinations
• dental examinations

These are seen as crucial to the health of the nation:

Prescription medicines are free: Prescription forms from Wales, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man will be dispensed for free in Scotland. Prescription forms from England will be charged at the current English rate of £9.90 per item, unless you are entitled to free prescriptions in England.

Eye Tests are free : living in the UK, a refugee a person seeking asylum, and you may also qualify for a free eye test if you’re an overseas visitor.

Hearing Tests are free.

Click on this link for more information : Help with health costs, NHS Inform.

Those are a few of the many free services provided by NHS Scotland : there’s also a variety of vaccinations and cancer screening services etc.

Pay and conditions for NHS Scotland workers is also separate from that of England – which may not always be highlighted when there are disputes in England over salaries. (Doctors lose new jobs package as strike to go ahead)

In February of this year resident doctors in Scotland accepted a pay deal which will give them on average a pay hike of almost 10 per cent for the current financial year and 9.4 per cent for 2026/27. Chris Smith, chair of BMA Scottish resident doctor committee, said :

‘This pay deal, which is based on total funding of £149m over two years, is a welcome substantial investment and continues progress towards reversing the pay erosion resident doctors have suffered since 2008. However, there remains much more work to be done to address issues affecting resident doctors in Scotland, to secure their future – and the future of the NHS.’

Click on this link from more information about pay rates for all NHS Scotland workers : Agenda for Change.

There is no doubt that NHS Scotland is under a lot of pressure. The Covid pandemic and its aftermath has been devastating as people continue to struggle with long covid, and some services had to be given less of a priority. Brexit has also had an impact with increased trade barriers and costs for pharmaceuticals. Ironically Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, but only two years previously it had also voted to remain in the UK.

Now we have the US/Israel War of choice against Iran, and the Iranian retaliations – costs will surge for everything because the global economy is based on oil.

What ever the make up of the next Scottish Parliament is, and which ever political party forms the next Scottish Government, MSPs will be making decisions about our NHS and the services it continues to fund.

Fiona Grahame

5 Candidates for Scottish Parliament 2026 Election, Orkney Constituency

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