Anas Sarwar has called for “fewer chief executives and more doctors” as he pledged the “biggest reform of the NHS in decades” if Labour wins the next Scottish election. The Scottish Labour leader said he would end a “growing culture of bureaucracy” and reduce the number of health boards. In his speech at the party’s conference in Glasgow, Sarwar said that if he became first minister in 2026, Labour would declare “a national waiting times emergency” to try and solve ongoing problems. He said the party would introduce “our own Department of Government Efficiency” to streamline government operations, referencing Elon Musk’s controversial agency in America. The Scottish Labour leader also promised to introduce an “Amazon tax” for online retailers, ban mobile phones in classrooms, and introduce powers to bring in directly-elected mayors for communities. However, the main focus of his speech was centered around the NHS, which he said was in a “crisis” that was “costing lives”. He said improving the health service was “personal” for him. He will take on the top-heavy management that is holding the NHS back and deliver the biggest and most meaningful NHS reform in decades. He will end the growing culture of bureaucracy. We will cut the number of health boards down to three, pushing power away from the boardrooms and to patients and staff on the frontline. Put bluntly – fewer managers, more nurses. Fewer chief executives and more doctors. He will make sure money was spent “on nurses and doctors, not the bureaucrats and the penpushers. And we will finally make our NHS fit for the future by embracing digital innovation and technology.
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