The SNP has released figures showing the horrific costs that our NHS will have to repay for Labour’s disastrous PFI. Over £1 billion will be taken out of the health budget in the next five years.
Over the next five years more money will leave the NHS in repayments for the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Wishaw General and Hairmyres Hospitals than the capital cost of the projects themselves – with more payments in years after that as a result of Labour’s PFI and PPP deals.
Between 2010-11 and 2014-15
• NHS Lothian will pay £228 million for Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary – despite the capital cost of the hospital being only £206 million overall.
• NHS Lanarkshire will pay £136 million for Wishaw General – a project worth £121 million and
• £106 million for Hairmyres, worth only £68 million.
So, when we warned them that this was a completely mad scheme, that the companies which had agreed to be involved in the it were laughing all the way to the bank, and that a 10 year old kid of average intelligence could
see that it was madness, we were right.
SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said:
“These new figures from the Scottish Parliament, based on information from the Treasury show the legacy Labour has left for Scotland.
“Over a billion of repayments in the next five years is a devastating hit to the NHS budget – particularly at a time when budgets will be under increasing pressure as a result of Labour’s economic mismanagement.
“PFI is typical of Labour’s irresponsible buy now, pay later approach to public spending.
“The NHS will pay more to banks in repayments over th
e next five years for three hospitals than those hospitals are actually worth. That is an example of the profligacy and incompetence that characterised Labour’s financial management and that Scotland’s public services are now paying for.
“After taking out repayment policies like this Labour has no credibility left on public spending and must answer to NHS staff and patients who are left facing up to Labour’s outrageous debts."
Over the next five years more money will leave the NHS in repayments for the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Wishaw General and Hairmyres Hospitals than the capital cost of the projects themselves – with more payments in years after that as a result of Labour’s PFI and PPP deals.
Between 2010-11 and 2014-15
• NHS Lothian will pay £228 million for Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary – despite the capital cost of the hospital being only £206 million overall.
• NHS Lanarkshire will pay £136 million for Wishaw General – a project worth £121 million and
• £106 million for Hairmyres, worth only £68 million.
So, when we warned them that this was a completely mad scheme, that the companies which had agreed to be involved in the it were laughing all the way to the bank, and that a 10 year old kid of average intelligence could
see that it was madness, we were right.SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said:
“These new figures from the Scottish Parliament, based on information from the Treasury show the legacy Labour has left for Scotland.
“Over a billion of repayments in the next five years is a devastating hit to the NHS budget – particularly at a time when budgets will be under increasing pressure as a result of Labour’s economic mismanagement.
“PFI is typical of Labour’s irresponsible buy now, pay later approach to public spending.
“The NHS will pay more to banks in repayments over th
e next five years for three hospitals than those hospitals are actually worth. That is an example of the profligacy and incompetence that characterised Labour’s financial management and that Scotland’s public services are now paying for.“After taking out repayment policies like this Labour has no credibility left on public spending and must answer to NHS staff and patients who are left facing up to Labour’s outrageous debts."
Pics of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Wishaw and Hairmyers Hospitals from the air.
Such a pity that Eck hadn't read out these figures to Iain Gray when he questioned the nurse situation Tris.
ReplyDeleteAny figures on how many people have benefited from the medical treatment at those hospitals before and during the periods of time mentioned.
ReplyDeleteUh no thought not typical snp spin.
Niko,
ReplyDeleteGood value for money then? I suspect you would not feel the same if the SNP had been responsible for such profits making the rich richer and, inevitably, making medical treatments and facilities poorer in the long run.
Yeah, come on Niko. Be fair. It's a nonsense that we are paying a rent far bigger than the original cost of the building.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the owners' faults. It's the fault of the stupid system where the private sector big bosses made mincemeat of the civil service and the then Scottish Executive.
As Brownlie says, this is making the rich richer. And money that could have been going into medicine is going into their Swiss bank accounts... again!
I've not heard FMQ yet SR. I'll catch it later. It's not like Eck to miss a chance of washing the floor with wee Iain.
If there's any flair-washin' tae be done it should be up at the new Edinburgh Infirmary. As well as bein' calamitously dear, it's mockit!
ReplyDeleteAndy Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Wishaw and Hairmyers Hospitals should hang his head in shame. In the short term PFI might get results but in the mid to long term we will be paying through the roof while a few fat swines will be raking the money in.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching the STV news and the report said 70% of Health budgets are spent on wages. I find that astonishing! So 30% goes towards everything else? They do need cuts and it should start with the bloody pen pushers who know nothing about health.
ReplyDeleteSophia. I was in ERI last year and compared with Ninewells, from where I'd been transferred it was spotless I have to say.
ReplyDeleteNinewells is one of the dirtiest places I've ever been. I lay watching some dirty cleaners, that smelled of unwashed sweatiness and stale fag smoke, move dirt around on the floor and shout at each other across the ward. They went from bed to bed wiping the bedside cabinets with the same cloth spreading whatever germs there were straight from to the other.
I watched nursespick their noses, or drop patients' stuff on the floor and pick it up and put it back on these filthy bed trays that they have.
All in all ERI may be less than perfect but it makes Ninewells look like the Black Hole of Calcutta.
Back there next week for a check up and sooooo glad it's not Ninewells.
I agree Allan. Of course the money had to be borrowed from somewhere if we were to have so many new hospitals all at once.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't grow on trees and we aren't allowed to levy taxes, but to allow this mortgaging of the future in order to allow it to look like Labour was doing a brilliant job was plain wicked.
And yes. Wherever you go in the NHS there seem to be pen pushers. Of course everyone would agree we need good administration. Lost papers could mean all manner of problems for patients but it's all the bloody managers who don't kinow anything about patients, about medicine, or frankly about management that worry me.
ReplyDeleteWith half of them I'd do what the tv companies did with the big "stars". Offer them to carry on in their jobs but with a 50% reduction in salary, or they could just leave.... with the other half, I'd just sack 'em.
Tris
ReplyDeleteEverything Labour have done over the past 13 years has been glossed over. They remind me of a comedy film called The Money Pit which is about a couple who buy a huge mansion for an unbelievable cheap price but only to find that when they moved in all was not what it appeared to be.
By the end of the film the whole house had collapsed and they were left with little more than a door knob.
The same will happen with the NHS and UK PLC over the coming years and everything Labour patched up (north&south) will start to unravel all fall to pieces.
The Money Pit. Yes. That sounds about right. Let's hope that the Government in Scotland, and the Liberal/Tory lot in England can get it right and start to repair the damage that this idiotic government has left.
ReplyDeleteYou might have guessed, I suppose that I'm a left of centre kinda guy, and would perhaps in anotehr world be a Labour supporter, but Labour has been untre to its roots, untrue to its followers. They've pretended that they knew what they were doing [playing with the rich boys, the bankers and the city of London, and they were taken for a ride by them.
Now all these prats that left us in this mess have gone to the House of Lords with bloody titles and a job for life.
What justice.... why should we love this country?
I mean... what's to love?
tris,
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure that they were "taken for a ride" and suspect it's more that they went along for the ride with the promises of lucrative employment being dangled in front of their greedy eyes. It would be interesting to find out how many of the decision makers find employment with the PFI profiteers.
Yes, I guess so brownlie... you know, I never thought about that. How naїve is that?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how we'd find that kind of thing out. I don't expect their Wikipedia pages carry that kind of stuff.
BTW did you like "Fever"?
tris,
ReplyDeleteI nearly missed it as I was very busy or smoking one of Conan's herbal cigarettes.
Hasn't she got a gorgeous voice!
Aye Conan's herbal cigarettes could probably make you forget most stuff.... or so I've heard.
ReplyDeleteAmazing what a wee bit of bergamot and chives can do. Mind you I prefer them on a piece....
Yes, Peggy Lee has an amazing smouldering esxy voice, and did even when she was old. She remained glamerous even when she was in her 70s.