Swinney to cut number of health boards in efficiency drive

John Swinney unveiled plans to reduce Scotland’s 14 territorial health boards to just two mainland bodies, with distinct arrangements under consideration for Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles. The First Minister said the move forms part of an efficiency drive aimed at cutting management layers and improving public service delivery. Under the proposal, the two mainland boards would oversee NHS services across the rest of Scotland, while the island health boards could be merged with local councils to create unitary authorities responsible for health, education and other local services such as waste collection. Swinney confirmed that final decisions would follow a period of consultation. He is set to outline the broader programme for government to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament at 15:00. “The government came into office with a commitment to deliver a 100‑day programme, and the government is going to do exactly that,” he said. “And that’s the first step of me repaying the trust that the people of Scotland have placed in my government, which is to deliver what I said to the public I would deliver.” He added that the administration had always lived within its means, noting, “Over the life of the SNP government we have balanced the budget on each occasion, and we will continue to do so.” Swinney stressed that fiscal discipline now requires embracing change and altering how public services are delivered. The First Minister highlighted “significant improvements” in the NHS and reiterated that eradicating child poverty remains a priority, citing the Scottish child payment and the expansion of free school meals as key measures. “We work with families to help them out of poverty, addressing issues around housing, employability, addiction or childcare,” he said. “We’re working alongside families to help those households get out of poverty and to make sure children have the best chances of a good start in life.” Swinney also expressed concern over violence against women and girls, describing the summer’s incidents as “appalling.” He said, “This has been a long‑running issue within Scottish society. The government has taken many measures to tackle this, but I think events over the summer have shown that I need to exercise the strongest possible personal leadership as first minister to make sure we confront these problems.” He insisted that such violence “could not be tolerated in any way, shape or form” and that changing the behaviour of men and boys would be central to the government’s response. On the cost of living, Swinney noted that one proposal under discussion is a price cap on selected food and drink items in large supermarkets. Twenty‑three organisations have since written a joint letter urging him to abandon the idea. Signatories include bodies representing retail, food and drink production, manufacturing and hospitality sectors in Scotland. In reply, Swinney said, “Many members of the public are struggling with the cost of their shopping and I want to try to do something appropriate to address that – that’s about bringing forward a connection for an affordable price cap on a limited number of items within our supermarkets.” He added, “We’ve got to consult on this and make sure the government can achieve the effect we want; that’s exactly what the government is going to do.”