NHS Lothian has missed out on an estimated £200 million in funding over the past decade because of what critics are calling an unfair national allocation formula, according to MSP Miles Briggs. The Conservative politician, who represents Lothian, raised the issue after figures from the Edinburgh Evening News highlighted the scale of the shortfall affecting Scotland's second-largest health board.
Briggs described the situation as completely unsustainable, pointing out that Lothian is the fastest-growing region in Scotland. Population growth, he argued, is not being adequately reflected in the way NHS Scotland distributes its budget, leaving the local board to absorb demand pressures without the resources to match them.
The funding gap matters beyond hospital corridors. Employers across Edinburgh and the Lothians rely on NHS services to keep their workforce healthy and productive. A health board operating under sustained financial pressure faces longer waiting times, reduced capacity, and potential service cutbacks, all of which carry real consequences for staff recruitment, retention, and workplace absence rates.
The Scottish Government has not yet responded publicly to Briggs's specific figures. However, pressure is mounting for a review of the resource allocation formula, with campaigners arguing that any model failing to keep pace with demographic change will only deepen regional inequality within the health service.