NHS and social care services in Scotland are set to be further supported through £660m of additional UK Government funding, following an announcement by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The £660m funding award comes as part of the wider £7bn funding for the NHS and social care services announced last week.
The funding will help Scottish health and care services deliver services at a scale required to meet growing need and backlogs.
It will also help support the continued delivery of Covid-19 testing across Scotland and the rollout of vaccines.
Across the three devolved administrations, more than £1.3bn in new funding will be distributed. This funding distribution was determined by the Barnett formula and is up to the devolved administrations on how they choose to spend the money.
Under the Barnett formula, when England receives additional funding, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all receive an equivalent share of funding as well.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The UK Government’s commitment to supporting Scotland through the pandemic has been unwavering, which is why today we are giving an extra £660m to the Scottish Government to ensure NHS Scotland has the vital funding it needs in these challenging times.
“Alongside this, the UK Government continues to provide the bulk of all Covid-19 testing in Scotland as well as vaccines, which are important in lifting of restrictions and reopening the economy.
“The strength of the Union has never been more important to the people of Scotland than it has been over the past 12 months with our Covid-19 response also helping families to retain their livelihoods and supporting businesses to keep running.”
