Dr Iain Kennedy

“Sadly there is a culture of cover-up, there's a culture of trying to keep things hidden and to protect the reputation of health boards and ultimately to protect the government.”

“It's very clear that in Scotland we still have a situation where health board reputation management and protecting the government comes ahead of patient safety and comes ahead of doctor well-being”

“the bleak reality is that it will take time and sustained efforts to make meaningful progress on tackling waiting lists to ensure every patient is able to access the care they need, when they need it.”

“The continuation of challenges for NHS Scotland in delivering timely treatments will be of no surprise to the many patients who are languishing on waiting lists or being forced to pay for private care, and it is simply unacceptable thousands are having to wait longer than one year - or in the worst cases even longer.”

“What is needed is for politicians to put political difference aside and urgently agree and deliver serious long-term and radical reform that finally makes our NHS sustainable, and indeed world leading, for generations to come.”

“Burnout, stress, ill-health and absence are being experienced far too often by doctors today, which not only results in lost working days and increased economic costs due to absenteeism and presenteeism, but also risks the loss of essential staff as doctors are forced to reduce their hours or leave the NHS altogether.”