Headlined in the Independent yesterday:
‘NHS finances in ‘perilous state’, says damning Public Accounts Committee report’
The report goes on to say:
‘The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) accused the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England of being “too focused on propping up the system” and neglecting to plan ahead. The National Health Service continues to scrape by on emergency handouts and funds that were intended for essential investment,” PAC chair Meg Hillier said. The committee cited last winter’s NHS crisis as evidence of the Government’s short-term approach, since despite early warnings of a looming healthcare emergency, Chancellor Philip Hammond waited until November to announce additional funding.’
In sharp contrast, Audit Scotland, reported in October 2017:
‘Analysis of a range of measures indicates there were no significant weaknesses in the overall quality of care being provided by the NHS in 2016/17. The Scottish Government has a consistent and long-standing vision of how it wants healthcare to look in the future. For well over a decade, successive Scottish Governments have had a policy of integrating health and care services to improve the health of the population. A healthy population served by a high-quality healthcare system is central to the Scottish Government’s ambition to create ‘a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.’
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2017/nr_171026_nhs_overview.pdf
So, the message for Theresa May on her unconvincing, whistle-stop tour today, must be:
‘Get back to Westminster and get on with your job.’
Talking-up Scotland 
One thought on “National auditors find two very different NHS systems in the UK. Someone tell Theresa today.”