What planet IS he on?  SNP Health Secretary claims NHS is NOT in crisis

Scotlands Health Secretary has been accused of being ‘in denial’ after claiming the NHS is not in crisis – despite soaring waiting times.

Neil Gray’s comments come as the latest official figures show increasing delays at A&E amid growing public dissatisfaction with the way the health service is run, with almost 700,000 Scots stuck in waiting lists for treatment.

Asked during an interview with Holyrood magazine if the NHS is in crisis or reaching crisis point, Mr Gray said: ‘No’.

He added: ‘For people that are waiting too long, that feeling is going to be there.

‘And for staff feeling burnt out or feeling the frustration of not being able to get their patients treated, of course there is going to be that feeling as well.

‘But I want to make sure there is a realistic balance between the challenges that are there, that are also not unique to Scotland, I need to make sure we’re addressing those. But I also can’t allow a situation where all aspects of the NHS are perceived in that way.

Scotlands NHS has seen ambulances stuck outside A&E as hospitals are swamped, waiting lists hit a record high of 860,000 and has struggled to fill vital doctors and nurses posts

Scotlands Health Secretary Neil Gray has been blasted for claiming the countrys struggling NHS is not in crisis

‘Most people get an incredibly good service from caring, dedicated, committed, professional staff. They do so on time and in an environment that is conducive to them getting good outcomes.

‘Yes, there are challenges, I will be the first to accept that. The reason I am so committed to seeing reform and improvement is because I recognise those challenges and accept responsibility. We are taking decisions to raise revenue – the decisions taken around taxation are not easy, we’ve received criticism for them, but they’re precisely because we want to see continued investment in our health service.

‘And so, this isn’t a health secretary that is ignoring challenges or isn’t taking responsibility. This is a health secretary and a government that is facing up to them.’

The SNP minister’s comments came just months after it was revealed the number of people on inpatient and outpatient waiting lists had reached more than 690,000 in March – the highest number since records began. The most recent A&E waiting time statistics for July also revealed that only 69.6 per cent of people were seen within four hours, well below the target of 95 per cent.

More than one in ten patients spent more than eight hours in A&E (10.6 per cent), while almost one in 20 were left waiting more than half a day (4.5 per cent).

Meanwhile the pressures on the NHS have become so severe that doctors last year said it was like working in a ‘war zone’.

The survey by the British Medical Association found 80 per cent of doctors in Scotland felt staffing levels were unsafe and that medics were ‘stretching themselves to breaking point’.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘Neil Gray is in denial. One in six Scots are on an NHS waiting list. If that doesn’t constitute a crisis, I dread to think what does.

Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane acciused Mr Gray of being in denial about the dire state of the countrys health service

‘The reason the health secretary won’t accept what’s staring him in the face is because it would mean admitting how badly the SNP have let down patients and NHS staff.’

Earlier this year, the Scottish Government’s Social Attitudes Survey found that 52 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with the way the NHS runs, compared with just 23 per cent who said they were satisfied.

It was the first time since 2005 that more people said they were dissatisfied than satisfied.