SERIOUS changes are needed in the direction and leadership of the NHS in Scotland if it is to reverse “decline,” an independent report warned today.

Retired consultant surgeon Mike McKirdy, a former president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, looked across the healthcare system, from patient access and governance to delayed discharges and inequalities in outcomes.

Mr McKirdy warns that, despite the publication of more than 130 major health strategies since the SNP came to power in 2007, the service “is still trying to deliver the same services under an outdated model of care.”

He says that “this failure has led to a decline … effectively creating a two-tier healthcare system,” with a 55 per cent increase in private admissions since 2019-20.

While concluding that the challenges are “not insurmountable,” he calls for a “fundamentally new approach” and for “serious changes” in both the “direction and leadership” of the service.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar commented: “Our NHS is our most precious public service, but as doctors themselves have warned, the very existence of the service is in danger.

“This landmark report shows the SNP’s utter failure to recover from the impact of the pandemic is because of their inability to modernise our NHS.

“Enough is enough — we don’t need more undelivered strategies; we need bold and meaningful change.”

SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray responded: “The evidence is clear that our NHS is turning a corner, with downward trends across nearly all waiting list indicators.

“To suggest otherwise does a huge disservice to our outstanding NHS staff who are delivering thousands more appointments and procedures this year, supported by our record £21.7 billion investment.”