Health Issues with Specific Reference to the Kerr Report

That the Parliament welcomes the Kerr report as an important contribution to the debate on the future structure of the NHS in Scotland and its objective of ensuring that most health services continue to be provided at a local level in response to patient needs and demands; notes, however, continuing public concern over the extent of the proposed centralisation of hospital services across Scotland and the effectiveness of NHS 24 and the out-of-hours service; further notes that, despite a substantial increase in funding for the NHS in Scotland, the waiting list is longer and waiting times are higher than they were in 1997; believes that a truly patient-centred NHS will be possible only if purchasing power is put in the hands of patients so that their choices determine the development of the service and healthcare providers are given far greater freedom to respond to those demands, and, to that end, calls for the establishment of foundation hospitals within NHSScotland and an increase in the capacity available to treat NHS patients by extending the use of the independent sector.