Scottish Labour pledges to take Scotland's NHS "out of the SNP's analogue age"
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Scottish Labour has pledged to take Scotland's NHS "out of the
SNP's analogue age" after it was revealed that Scotland's health
boards have spent £4.6 million on pagers. The health boards spent
at least £4,596,608 on pagers since 2018/19, with NHS Greater
Glasgow and Clyde spending almost £1.8 million and NHS Lothian
spending close to £1 million, according to data obtained by
Scottish Labour FOIs. The total figure is expected to be higher,
due to some health...Request free trial
Scottish Labour has pledged to take Scotland's NHS "out of the SNP's analogue age" after it was revealed that Scotland's health boards have spent £4.6 million on pagers. The health boards spent at least £4,596,608 on pagers since 2018/19, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spending almost £1.8 million and NHS Lothian spending close to £1 million, according to data obtained by Scottish Labour FOIs. The total figure is expected to be higher, due to some health boards failing to respond. Pagers were widely used in the 1980s and 1990s for instant communication before being replaced by smartphones in the 21st century.
But the FOIs found that spending on pagers increased in at least
seven health boards, while rising by 8 percent overall between
2018/19 and 2024/25. At least 13 fax machines — used for sending messages instantly before emails — are still in use. Commenting, Scottish Labour's Health Spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: "The UK Labour government is setting out a blueprint for NHS England's digital future, but the SNP, Scotland's NHS is still stuck in an analogue age. "The SNP has been in power for as long as the iPhone has existed, yet all analogue John has invented is excuses. “Getting reliable WiFi in Scottish hospitals is the bare minimum the Scottish Government should do to bring our NHS into the 21st century. "While English patients will soon be able to book appointments by app, the SNP can only promise a pilot for dermatology appointments in Lanarkshire. “Only Scottish Labour can take our NHS out of the SNP's analogue age — that's the new direction Scotland needs.” ENDS NOTES NHS Health Board expenditure on pagers over the last seven financial years
Source: Scottish Labour FOI Number of pagers currently used by NHS Health Boards, as of March 2025.
Source: Scottish Labour FOI The list below details the number of working fax machines reported to be in use within NHS Health Boards in 2023 and 2024.
Source: FOI response from NHS Health Boards. *Please note that NHS Forth Valley and NHS Shetland failed to respond to the FOI request within the 20 working day deadline. NHS Dumfries and Galloway pager spend in 2024/25 is significantly higher than previous years because it included replacement equipment costs. NHS Grampian data includes combined spend on pagers and bleepers.. NHS Western Isles 2024/25 pager spend is the spend before VAT. NHS Lothian has not confirmed whether the 2024/25 spend was the final spend. Data was provided in April 2025. |
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