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Our budget for next year includes a record figure of almost £22.5 billion for health and social care. We will scale up productivity and efficiency programmes to create additional capacity and health boards will take forward a new collaborative subnational planning approach - working together to optimise capacity for all specialities and diagnostic tests, including echocardiogram, so that patients receive the care that they need as soon as possible.

Last year our Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme (SCAP) published cardiology diagnostic data, including waiting times statistics, for the first time. This is an important step forward to support monitoring and improvement of echocardiograph services in Scotland.

Data on echocardiography will be incorporated into future SCAP reports. Monitoring of performance through SCAP allows us to identify where challenges are being faced in the delivery of high quality cardiac care and work closely with clinical and operational teams to address issues. Health Boards are also expected to identify issues and work to improve performance locally.

Following an amendment raised by the member, this matter has already been debated in Parliament. I provided a response to this debate in the Chamber on 11 February 2026.

I will provide an update to Parliament later this month on the progress we have made against the Operational Improvement Plan commitments.

These cross border transfers are minimal in terms of total numbers of patients transferred to Hospital in Scotland. They are part of an on-going agreement between the Scottish Ambulance Service, North East and North West NHS Ambulance Services to support each other during periods of high demand and during critical incidents.

Part of this agreement will sometimes see patients from England transferred to Borders General Hospital for treatment.

To ensure patient safety, the Scottish Ambulance Service will always take patients to the nearest possible hospital in a life threatening situation, which in some parts of Scotland, may be over the border.

We continue to invest in our ambulance service with additional investment of £12.7m this year compared with 2024-25. This is helping the Service to recruit over 290 additional frontline staff this year, following on from the 241 recruited last year.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information which is a matter for NHS Boards locally.

The Scottish Government’s position on homeopathy is unchanged. While some Complementary and Alternative Medicines, including homeopathy, may offer relief to some people, it is for NHS Boards to determine which treatments they offer in line with national and local priorities and national guidance: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2016)06.pdf.

Prescribing decisions, including the use of homeopathy, are made by clinicians in consultation with patients, drawing on their competencies, evidence-based advice, and relevant guidance. The Scottish Government expects that any treatment provided is appropriate, person-centred, safe, effective, and subject to ongoing review between clinicians and their patients.

The Scottish Ministers have no employment functions under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, those being a function of the relevant Health Board. Executives and senior managers within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are employees of the health board in which they work and all matters relating to their employment are for the Board and for the Chair.

On 22 November 2019, Scottish Government escalated NHSGGC to level 4 of the framework in light of the ongoing issues. In a letter from Malcolm Wright, then Director General for Health and Social Care explained “In light of the on-going issues around the systems, processes and governance in relation to infection prevention, management and control at the QEUH and RHC and the associated communication and public engagement issues, I have concluded that further action is necessary to support the Board to ensure appropriate governance is in place to increase public confidence in these matters and therefore that for this specific issue the Board will be escalated to Stage 4 of our performance framework.

The Member will be aware that this matter relates to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, established by the Scottish Government so that families and patients impacted by issues at the QEUH can get answers to their questions. It is right that the inquiry’s independent chair Lord Brodie be given the time and space to consider all of the evidence and get to the truth for families.

It is a matter of public record that Health Protection Scotland (HPS) informed the Scottish Government of a water contamination incident at the Royal Hospital for Children, based at the then Elizabeth University Hospital campus (later renamed the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital) on 1 March 2018.

The Member will be aware that this matter relates to evidence already submitted to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. The Inquiry was established by the Scottish Government and it is right that the inquiry’s independent chair Lord Brodie be given the time and space to consider all of the evidence and get to the truth for families.

Ministers have confidence in the leadership of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.

It is important to be clear that significant leadership changes have been made: appointment of a new Chair (2023), new Chief Executive (2025), and new Medical Director (2024). It is the expectation of the Scottish Government that, under their leadership, clinical quality, safety, and good organisational culture will be continue to be of the utmost importance.

The Member will be aware that this matter relates to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, established by the Scottish Government. It is right that the inquiry’s independent chair Lord Brodie be given the time and space to consider all of the evidence and get to the truth for families.

The Scottish Government expects NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s current leadership to consider the Inquiry’s full report when published, and to fully implement any recommendations made.

As the First Minister made clear during his answer to Russell Findlay at First Minister’s Questions on 22 January, there was no pressure applied by Scottish Ministers to open the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital early.

Counsel to the Inquiry, during the last day of hearings on 23 January, stated “there was no evidence from the senior GGC people involved in opening the hospital, from Dr Armstrong down, and Mr Calderwood, about pressure, either from them or from anyone else.” He went on to further state “we didn’t detect, in the evidence, pressure in the sense of, “Open it earlier than was planned.”

Those remarks are taken from the published transcript from 23 January, which is available on the Inquiry’s website. See link provided Transcript - Closing submissions for investigations into the QEUH - 23.01.26 | Hospitals Inquiry.

Ensuring the highest standards of safety across all NHS Scotland facilities is of the utmost importance. The Scottish Government's role in major capital projects is to ensure accountability for public investment and timely delivery of services the public needs. However, patient safety must always come first. We have previously demonstrated this commitment in practice - when safety concerns were raised about the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, we supported the decision to delay its opening until those concerns were fully resolved.

The Member will be aware that this matter relates to evidence already submitted to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. It is right that the inquiry’s independent chair Lord Brodie be given the time and space to consider all of the evidence and get to the truth for families.

The pause on all health capital projects was lifted in last year’s draft budget and Programme for Government, which committed to the replacement projects for Monklands University Hospital, the Belford Hospital and the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion, as well as the Barra and Vatersay Community Campus.

As set out in the infrastructure delivery pipeline (13 January 2026), we are developing a revenue funding model to enable additional infrastructure investment across primary and community care, with a network of local care and wellbeing centres – starting with projects in Port Glasgow; East Calder and East Livingston; Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly and the range of sites further listed in the document.

We are also working with all boards to develop an NHS whole system infrastructure plan to inform future investment priorities across the estate and ensure available funding is directed to best effect.