College reacts to Scottish Budget

College reacts to Scottish Budget

The Scottish Government set out its Budget for 2026/27 in Parliament yesterday, 13th January 2026. Commenting, Professor Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

The College welcomes a number of the elements in the budget, including the investment in social care and confirmation that adult social care workers will receive the real living wage. Given the ongoing severe pressures facing social and residential care- and the continuing impact these pressures are having on levels of delayed discharge in the NHS- we urge Ministers to look at what else they can do to provide support to the sector and tackle its serious recruitment challenges.

We acknowledge the funding announced for the new walk in GP clinics but need to see much more detail about how they will operate and, crucially, how they will be staffed. We welcome all extra investment in primary care as this can help ease the pressure on attendance in hospitals. 

The increase in the NHS capital budget and approval of a number of major new hospital facilities is positive news but will in itself not be able to remedy all of the significant maintenance backlog across NHS Scotland’s estate- this will require continuing and extra investment in the years ahead

However, much more than money is required to transform our NHS. We call again for a meaningful “national conversation” on the future of the NHS in Scotland.