The SNP made big pre-election promises on health and social care and although they have fallen short of an overall majority on their own, with a little help from their political friends, significant changes are on the horizon for both health and social care.

Most notable perhaps in the SNP manifesto were pledges to increase funding for the NHS by 20%, around £2.5bn over the next five years; to increase NHS activity by 10% to tackle to the covid backlog; and to establish a national care service.

Having fallen short of a majority by one seat, the SNP will not be able to bring forward their plans alone. The Scottish Greens have long supported them in crucial votes in Holyrood in exchange for policy concessions and now, bolstered by winning another two seats, it seems likely the Scottish Green party may be able to get the SNP to concede to some of its manifesto promises in exchange for helping Sturgeon’s party get their programme for government voted through.

What is the SNP promising?

Within 100 days of being returned to power Nicola Sturgeon promised an NHS recovery plan would be published, detailing how a 10% increase in inpatient, day patient and outpatient activity would be facilitated to deal with the pandemic backlog and implement the party’s cancer recovery plan – a commitment the BMA has said is “unrealistic” given how exhausted the workforce currently is.

Meanwhile a review was pledged of the formula used to allocate funding to Scotland’s health boards to ensure resources are handed out “equitably”.

The substantial rise in funding for the NHS promised by Ms Sturgeon is unlikely to be challenged; the Conservative manifesto promised much the same amount too.

The SNP has also promised to bring in an extra 1,500 staff to the NHS by 2025 through accelerated recruitment.

A national care service will be ‘fully functioning’ by 2026 under SNP plans, including a national wage for care staff and the removal of non-residential care charges, funded by £800m over the next five years.

Third sector and grassroots organisations working to prevent drug deaths have been promised five-year funding cycles, while people struggling with addiction have been promised same day treatment and prescribing through new medication assisted treatment standards.

Other pledges include scrapping charges for dental care; developing a new NHS app where patients can access their medical history, and doing away with paper prescriptions; reviewing the ‘number, structure and regulation’ of Scotland’s health boards; appointing a new national clinical lead for palliative and end of life care; and the introduction of a miscarriage service.

When it comes to a national care service – something the SNP says should be ‘on a par with the NHS’ – both the SNP and the Scottish Greens support its establishment but differ significantly on the detail. While the SNP has already dismissed a public sector takeover of private care, the Greens’ long-term aim is to ‘remove the private sector from the provision of care’ and bring competitive tendering to an end.

And while the SNP proudly announced a pre-election increase in funding for care providers so staff providing direct care are paid at least £9.50 an hour, the Greens want to see that brought up to £15 per hour.

On NHS pay for people on Agenda for Change contracts, the Scottish Greens are backing a 12.5% wage rise – a significant increase from the SNP’s offer of 4% currently being considered by staff and unions.

The Greens also wants to see staff allowed to drop down to a four-day week with no loss of earnings.

Their call for dedicated mental health support and counselling for all health and care workers may be one of the easier points for the SNP to concede on, given the rollout of free counselling to staff during the pandemic.

More broadly when it comes to mental health the Greens have said they want to see funding increase to 10% of frontline NHS spending by 2026 – an extra £253m a year and a commitment the SNP has already made.

The Scottish Green party also wants to see £161m more invested in child and adolescent mental health services – a proposal that would dwarf previous SNP announcements.

Returning MSPs and newcomers to Holyrood will be sworn in later this week, followed by the election by MSPs of the next First Minister five days later.

Top of the new First Minister’s priorities will then be the appointment of the next Scottish Cabinet, including a replacement of the now former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.

Read more: Manifesto health check: the Scottish Greens; Manifesto health check: the SNP

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