HUMZA Yousaf has said the UK Government has failed to give any extra funding to deal with health budget pressures in Scotland.
The Scottish Health Secretary said cash announced by his UK counterpart to help free up capacity in hospitals was being taken from existing budgets, despite being "touted as new money”.
When quizzed on whether any additional funding has been given from the UK Government to deal with issues such as inflation, he told MSPs on the Holyrood’s health committee: “No, is the answer in short."
Yousaf is due to make a statement to parliament this afternoon detailing further information on plans to alleviate pressure on the NHS.
It comes after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that Scotland’s hospitals are "almost completely full" as the NHS tries to cope with the “most difficult winter ever”.
As part of the plans, health boards in Scotland will be provided with “immediate extra funding” to buy beds in care homes with the aim of helping hospitals to discharge patients waiting for care packages.
UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay has also outlined plans to speed up hospital discharges, with up to £250 million of “additional funding”.
However Yousaf told MSPs there would be no money coming to Scotland through Barnett consequentials as a result of this.
He said: “We are obviously keeping a close eye any time there is a discussion about 'new money'.
"So you may have seen there was an announcement yesterday by the UK Government around what they are planning to do around delayed discharge, a lot of focus was on additional bed capacity much as it will be in Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“It was touted as new money, but we asked HMT Treasury and were told it is being found within the department, there’s no consequentials to that.”
He added: “So every time there is an announcement, we are obviously keeping a really close eye to see if there are further consequentials, but I have to say I am not holding out any hope that there will be any additional money coming in this financial year.
“But I am also mindful that there is some level of discussion that is now taking place at UK level between trade unions and the UK Government.
“If there’s anything that comes in, then of course we have got a commitment to pass health and social care consequentials to the health and social care portfolio.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is well-funded to deliver on its devolved responsibilities, which includes support for the NHS in Scotland.
“We are providing a record £41 billion per year settlement - which is increasing in real terms over the 2021 Spending Review period – and decisions taken at the Autumn Statement have topped up that funding further to help the Scottish Government with the pressures of inflation we are all facing.”
