Adam slams UK government for cost of living squeeze on NHS

A NORTH-east MSP has slammed the UK government for putting NHS Grampian under added strain due to the cost of living crisis.

SNP Banffshire and Buchan MSP Karen Adam has spoken after after new research has revealed more than a quarter of Scots have sought NHS treatment due to the impact of the cost of living crisis on their health.

The report – described by the MSP as "damning" – from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the cost of living crisis had deepened a “cycle of health inequality” that was "failing our people and turning up the pressure on the NHS”.

With food prices continuing to soar and rapidly inflating energy bills making it difficult for many people to keep warm, more people in Banffshire and Buchan Coast are having to seek out either physical or acute mental health treatment for conditions.

Ms Adam said: “This declining union is failing the people of Banffshire and Buchan Coast; failing to deliver affordable food and sustenance; failing to tackle rising energy costs and now failing them when it comes to their health. Banffshire and Buchan Coast deserves better.

“Whether it’s from neglect or threat of privatisation, it’s no secret that our NHS is not safe in the hands of any UK government in Westminster, and this pressure should be seen as a foreshadowing of what’s to come under their control.

“With both the Tories and Labour providing no alternative to the brutal impact of UK control, the SNP Scottish Government is digging deep with what few powers it has to mitigate incompetent UK Government policy. It's clear that only in an independent Scotland can we do more than just mitigate and build a robust healthcare system that looks after everyone.”

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