Reform Scotland was delighted to host a discussion about the future of the NHS with Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, as part of our on-going NHS2048 work.
As Shadow Health Secretary, Jackie is in charge of Labour’s approach to NHS policy at Holyrood, and the commitments the party will make ahead of the upcoming general election and the Holyrood election in 2026. She set out some of her early thinking in a recent article for Reform Scotland – which can be read here – including a cut in the number of health boards and the establishment of a statutory National Clinical Council, involving clinicians more closely in decision-making. Jackie has also called for an NHS Recovery Plan that is “community care-led, focuses on preventative healthcare and rewards staff”.
In conversation with Chris Deerin, Director of Reform Scotland, Jackie explained Scottish Labour’s approach to the NHS and how she thinks the necessary transformation may be brought to fruition.
Watch the event back here: