Last week during Health Questions in the Scottish Parliament I quizzed the Cabinet Health Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Alex Neil MSP, to ask for assurances from the Scottish Government that Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy will be able to deal with the winter months ahead as pressures and demand increase.

I called for assurances after previous concerns over patient care and A&E waiting times at the Victoria were raised for the same time period last year. Last winter we saw that NHS Fife had the third highest number of patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E across Scotland. That is why I have pushed Alex Neil for a commitment that we won’t see this happen again in Fife.

I asked Mr Neil if he was confident that NHS Fife is “in a robust position for the winter months and the challenges that are ahead.” Mr Neil responded that he is confident that NHS Fife is in a much better place than before.

Only last week the Health Minister failed to tell me when NHS Fife would eventually receive the funding that it deserves. Instead we have a health service in Fife that is facing having to repay £2.1 million in loans despite being underfunded by £12 million.

This under-funding can only add to the already substantial pressures faced by our health services across Scotland, including an aging population and increased workload. Without a long term plan from the Scottish Government then we run the risk of our underlying problems remaining unaddressed.

Alex Neil has given a commitment but given that we know NHS Fife is underfunded it will continue to be a difficult task for Fife this winter and I will continue to keep a close eye on the situation over the coming months.