With the NHS back at the top of the political agenda, John Swinney has pledged to tackle GP waiting times — but with public confidence in the health service plummeting and structural reform off the table, is this promise just another pre-election crowd-pleaser destined to disappoint asks Andy Maciver

So, it’s back to the NHS. After a few merciful weeks of hearing about the government’s plans for such areas as the future of energy, the economy in general, and of course independence, the crowd pleaser of all crowd pleasers have been placed firmly at the top of the political agenda once again.

This is the act of First Minister John Swinney, but it is not really his fault; with an election looming, promising to fix the NHS is the default top line of all policy platforms, government and opposition. Mr Swinney took his opportunity to elevate the NHS on Monday, in his closing speech to the SNP’s annual conference, when he pledged to end the tortuous wait to see a GP.

However, Mr Swinney would be well advised to tread carefully; promises to make the NHS great again used to be solid political ground, but are increasingly like walking on eggshells. The views of the general public on our national health service are not all they seem, and not all they used to be.

We can see a hint of this in the annual........

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