RCPod responds to Scottish Government's Programme for Government 2023-24
While the Royal College of Podiatry (RCPod) continues to welcome Scottish Government’s stated priority of prevention, Wednesday’s Programme for Government does not provide the reassurance that this priority can be realised.
The RCPod welcomes the statements regarding the use of multi-disciplinary working to support better, patient-centred care pathways, empowering patients in self-care, and joining up services to provide early intervention on known determinants of poor health, but questions remain about how this is to be delivered.
On Wednesday 4 September the Scottish Government announced cuts totalling £115m to the Health and Social Care budget, including reduced spending on innovation, digital improvement and strategic communication work.
A podiatric initiative led to increased rates of early detection of arrhythmias by podiatrists in the Western Isles, reducing possible strokes and the associated costs. Reduced funding in the areas outlined yesterday could prevent the development of similar initiatives, increasing ill health and consequently the cost of healthcare in the future.
The challenges of the current financial environment are recognised by the RCPod and our members. Nonetheless, without dedicated funding for ongoing preventative care, RCPod’s concern regarding the NHS’s ability to deliver on the priority of preventative care remains unchanged.
Further information:
- Programme for Government 2024-25: Serving Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
- Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Convener of 3 September 2024 (parliament.scot)