UNDER-PRESSURE SNP First Minister John Swinney has pledged Wednesday’s Budget will have health “at its heart” even as he is mauled by a watchdog over a lack of “leadership” in Scotland’s NHS.

On the eve of the Scottish government publishing its draft Budget, the auditor general for Scotland, Stephen Boyle, has published the latest in a series of damning Audit Scotland reports on the state of the nation’s NHS.

Once again urging the Scottish government to “set out clearly” how it will deliver reform in the service, he warned: “To safeguard the NHS, a fundamental change in how services are provided remains urgent.

“Taking those steps will require greater leadership from Scottish government and NHS leaders than we’ve seen to date.”

Mr Boyle’s remarks come as pressure mounts on Mr Swinney to use additional cash allocated at the UK Budget — £1.5bn this year and £3.4bn from April — to tackle long-standing issues in the NHS.

Last week, Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis showed Scotland’s NHS lagged England’s NHS in Covid recovery, while BMA Scotland’s GP committee called for a spending boost to “rescue” a service that has seen its share of NHS spending fall from11 to 6.5 per cent over the last two decades.

This week, pressure has grown further as the Royal College of Nursing Scotland’s Colin Poolman warned that nurse numbers, which had grown by just 0.1 per cent in six months, in Scotland have “stagnated” despite escalating “pressures on our health and social care system.”

Calling the NHS one of his “top priorities,” Mr Swinney said: “I have thrown the weight of the Scottish government behind tackling some of the key challenges it faces, whether that is increasing capacity in hospitals or making it easier for people to see a GP.

“Our Budget this week will be a Budget which has improving the NHS at its heart.”

Scottish Labour’s Dame Jackie Baillie responded: “John Swinney likes to talk up his NHS record but this damning report shows the scale of SNP incompetence.

“Spending on agency staff is up 45 per cent on five years ago yet delayed discharge is at a record high and the NHS is missing three-quarters of waiting list targets — after 17 years of the SNP, our health service is broken.

“The report shows clearly the price hard-working NHS staff and patients are paying for the lack of leadership from the SNP.”