UNDER-PRESSURE SNP First Minister John Swinney has pledged Wednesday’s Budget will have health “at its heart” even as he is mauled by a watchdog over a lack of “leadership” in Scotland’s NHS.

On the eve of the Scottish government publishing its draft Budget, the auditor general for Scotland, Stephen Boyle, has published the latest in a series of damning Audit Scotland reports on the state of the nation’s NHS.

Once again urging the Scottish government to “set out clearly” how it will deliver reform in the service, he warned: “To safeguard the NHS, a fundamental change in how services are provided remains urgent.