Funding Cut For Heart Disease Programme

Jim Hume reveals Scottish Government has slashed funding for key heart disease programme.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for answers after revealing that the Scottish Government has slashed funding for a programme designed to prevent heart disease amongst people from Scotland’s poorest backgrounds.

Answers to a parliamentary question submitted by Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Jim Hume showed that the Scottish Government is to nearly halve funding for the Keep Well programme next year.

This means that health boards will be allocated £6.5m instead of £11m. The Keep Well programme focuses particularly on early intervention for people at high risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes to help them modify their lifestyle. 

The cut comes despite people from the poorest backgrounds being almost twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease compared to those from the least deprived backgrounds.

Commenting, Mr Hume said:

"The Scottish Government must explain why they have slashed funding for this preventative programme.

People from the poorest backgrounds are almost twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease compared to those from the least deprived backgrounds.

Yet the SNP have nearly halved its funding from £11m to £6.5m. We need to know why this cut has been made and where the money is going if it is not to prevent people at risk of coronary heart disease.

For too long, Scotland has suffered with the unwanted tag of being the sick man of Europe. This is a backwards step which could undermine the efforts of health boards to prevent and improve the health of people from the poorest backgrounds."