John Swinney is promising “serious action” to improve Scotland’s NHS – with the First Minister pledging to tackle “the 8am lottery” for GP appointments.
With his Programme for Government statement to set out plans for a “renewed and stronger NHS”, the Scottish First Minister said his Government will seek to make improvements “to make it easier for people to get the care they need, when they need it”.
His comments came as he visited a GP practice in Dundee ahead of making his keynote address to Holyrood – with Mr Swinney acknowledging the “deep frustration” people can feel as they try to get an appointment.
The First Minister said: “While many people’s experience of their GP is excellent, for many others there is deep frustration over what has been described as the 8am lottery to make appointments.
“So we will act to reduce pressure and increase capacity in the system, to make it easier for people to get the care they need, when they need it.”
He added: “When I became First Minister a year ago, I heard loud and clear people’s concerns about the NHS.
“The Programme for Government I announce today will take serious action to put the NHS on track to meet the needs of the public.”
The Programme for Government which Mr Swinney will announce on Tuesday sets out his administration’s policy objectives and legislation for the coming 12 months.
Traditionally made in September when MSPs return after the summer recess, Mr Swinney has brought his statement forward – with this now coming a year ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections.
Ahead of the statement the Tories urged the First Minister to ditch “Nationalists’ fringe obsession with gender self-ID” and “finally focus on the priorities of ordinary Scots”.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton urged Mr Swinney to concentrate on “tackling classroom violence and mending Scotland’s crumbling roads”.
She also said the SNP leader should be “reducing spending on NHS managers, so that more can be spent on frontline care, to tackle the GP shortages and the deadly waiting times in A&E and cancer treatment”.
Ms Hamilton said: “John Swinney must cut out the wasteful, self-indulgent spending and have a laser-like focus on the priorities of mainstream Scotland.”
Labour meanwhile said the SNP has a history of “broken promises” to voters, on issues ranging from health, education and the environment.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Like clockwork, headline-grabbing plans are made and abandoned, and ambitious targets are set and missed.”
He added: “For 18 years John Swinney has been at the heart of this failing Government and he cannot pretend otherwise.
“John Swinney was the man who broke it and now wants to pretend he is the one to fix it.”
With the next Holyrood election taking place on May 7 2026, Mr Sarwar added: “As the election approaches, the SNP will ramp up the empty promises once again but Scotland will not forget the record of failure that hangs over John Swinney and his Government.”
Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie urged the First Minister to take “meaningful action to cut child poverty and tackle the climate emergency”.
He said: “With wildfires having torn apart our iconic countryside, we need to be bold for our climate, but the Scottish Government has taken too many backward steps, from junking its target to reduce car numbers to hiking the cost of train and bus tickets.
“Scottish communities are finding themselves on the front line of the crisis.
“We need to get serious, and that means ensuring robust measures to promote public transport while introducing a credible plan to make homes cheaper and greener to heat.”
