Opposition parties accuse Michael Matheson of being “distracted” by the roaming scandal. Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA
The SNP Health Secretary has been accused of 'putting lives at risk' over his refusal to quit amid £11,000 roaming charges scandal after second worst hospital waiting time in history.
The Scottish Parliament's governing corporate body (SPCB) investigated whether Michael Matheson breached the MSP code of conduct by billing him £10,935.74 during a family holiday to Morocco over Christmas 2022.
Opposition parties said Mr Matheson was «distracted» by the furor, which is expected to reach a fever pitch soon. He was reportedly given several days to respond to the findings.
Michael Matheson with First Minister Humza Yousaf said, that emergency departments are «facing increased winter pressure.» Photo: Robert Perry/PA
It is understood that the SPCB recommended that the matter be referred to Holyrood's standards committee, which has the power to recommend to Parliament that «all rights and privileges of a member be waived».
This may include removal from parliament.
The pressure on him increased after official data showed that 42,442 patients spent more than the planned four hours in emergency departments in December 2023.
The pressure on him increased.< /p>
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This is the second highest result ever, after 5,107 patients were forced to wait more than eight hours in December 2022.
An even greater number of patients (6,467) experienced waits of at least 12 hours, representing 5.3% of those presenting to the emergency department.
The Scottish Government has set a target of 95% of all emergency department patients seen and hospitalized, transferred or discharged within four hours. However, in December this was achieved only in 65.6% of cases.
Dr Sandesh Gulhain, the Scottish Tories' shadow health minister, accused the SNP of «disgraceful mismanagement of our NHS». Photo: SST/Alamy Live News
Dr Sandesh Gulhain, the Scottish Tory Health Secretary and a GP, said: «These dangerous figures continue to get worse due to the SNP's disgraceful mismanagement of our NHS and this excessive expectation is completely inexcusable.» .
He added: “This is not a new problem. The SNP has not met its waiting period since July 2020, but Michael Matheson still refuses to address this growing problem.
“His refusal to quit smoking has further put lives at risk and he must urgently address this crisis before any more lives are put at risk.»
Jackie Bailey joins Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labor, said Michael Matheson «must go». Photo: Ken Jack/Getty Images
Dame Jackie Bailey, the Scottish Labor Party's health spokesman, said: «The health secretary has gone missing while patients and staff are forced to deal with the mess his government has created.»
«Scotland deserves better – Michael Matheson must AND the Scottish National Party must tackle this chaos by improving social care, supporting NHS staff and implementing a real catch-up plan.”
Mr Matheson told parliament he used the iPad solely to deal with constituents' questions, despite receiving a bill breakdown showing £7,345.69 of expenses were claimed on January 2 last year, a bank holiday. That day there was a match between Rangers and Celtic.
Holyrood authorities allowed him to use his taxpayer-funded expenses to fund the £3,000 bill. Parliament funded the balance of £7,935.74 from its own budget.
The Health Secretary returned the money from his own pocket on November 10 last year, two days after The Telegraph published the bill. His annual salary is £118,511.
In a statement to MSP, he said he only learned on November 9 that his sons were using an iPad as an internet hotspot to watch football matches. The Falkirk West MP did not explain how he thought he had passed the constituency work bill.
Commenting on the waiting time figures, Mr Matheson said: “Emergency departments across the country continue to have dealing with high winter blood pressure, with similar demand being felt across the rest of the UK.
“We understand that waiting times for some patients are longer than we would like and we continue to work closely with commissions to support delivering sustainable improvements.»
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