Scotland faces a health and social care funding shortfall of almost £2 billion over the next few years unless services are reformed, the public spending watchdog has warned.
An Audit Scotland report revealed the Scottish Government forecast a £1.8 billion gap in its projected health and social care funding of £18.8 billion by 2023/24.
Politicians and doctors last night expressed alarm at the report, which also warned ministers’ flagship plans to address the shortfall by integrating health and social care were “too slow”.
The government’s aim to integrate the two services by next year was “unlikely” to be met, the report “NHS in Scotland 2019” said.
The findings come against a backdrop of a 63 per cent decrease in funding from the Scottish Government over the last decade and a maintenance backlog that now stands at £914 million.
In addition, just two out of eight key national waiting times targets were met last year, while health boards needed £65.7 million in bailouts.
Among the boards to receive extra government funding was NHS Highland, which received £18 million – the second highest amount after Ayrshire and Arran on £20 million.
Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “This is another utterly damning report by independent Audit Scotland into SNP minsters and their shocking mismanagement of our NHS.
“It’s now becoming an annual event where SNP failings on the health service are brutally exposed in this way.”
BMA Scotland chairman Dr Lewis Morrison said the report painted “a stark picture of the parlous state of our NHS”.
Dr Morrison said there remained “a lack of a clear plan” on how to address the £1.8 million funding gap.
NHS Highland had the highest percentage of nursing and midwifery vacancies in 2018/19 at 8.4%, against a Scottish average of 4.9%.
The latest report also indicates that NHS Grampian had the most allied health professional vacancies at 9.1% compared with a Scottish average of 4.7%.
Consultant shortages were highest in Orkney (44.2%).
NHS Grampian managed to reduce its prescribing budget by £3.5 million, compared to the year before, by switching to different products.
The report noted there had been a “significant turnover” of senior leadership in boards, with 26 new appointments across the 22 boards in 2018/19.
They included new chief executives in Grampian, Highland, Orkney and Tayside.
Audit Scotland also found the NHS had faced “significant challenges” over the delays to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh and the safety concerns at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the government had increased financial flexibility for boards and added that the £850 million Waiting Time Improvement Plan would help address financial challenges and improve access to care.