Scotland's NHS is facing severe criticism after it was revealed that hundreds of thousands of pounds are being spent on hiring professional actors to pretend to be patients for staff training.
Substantial Funds for 'Simulated Patients'
NHS Education for Scotland (NES), a body with an annual budget of approximately £600 million, has set aside a staggering £360,000 to pay for actor services. This cost includes VAT on the £300,000 contract value. The funds are designated for 'simulated patients' to help train doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff across the country.
At a time when the health service is under immense financial pressure, this expenditure has sparked outrage. Official figures show that 850,000 people in Scotland are currently on an NHS waiting list, awaiting treatment and diagnostic tests.
Fierce Criticism from Campaigners and Politicians
Campaign groups and political opponents have condemned the spending as a waste of precious resources. Callum McGoldrick, investigations manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, stated: 'Spending more than £300,000 on professional actors to play patients while more than half a million Scots sit on NHS waiting lists is completely backwards.'
He argued that the health service desperately needs more doctors, nurses, and actual treatment capacity, not paid performers. McGoldrick also ridiculed the notion that the budget was sufficient to 'hire the cast of Casualty,' suggesting the money should be redirected to frontline care instead.
Echoing these concerns, Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said: 'At a time when frontline NHS services are stretched to breaking point, every penny of public money needs to be spent wisely.' She described the situation as 'farcical,' with real patients languishing on waiting lists while actors are paid to pretend to be ill.
NHS Defence and a Precarious Financial Future
In its defence, NHS Education for Scotland argued that using professional actors is a vital part of modern medical training. A spokesman explained that simulation exercises, including those with actors following detailed scripts, create a safe learning environment. This allows healthcare professionals to practice diagnosing and treating patients, including those in distress, before dealing with real-life situations.
However, this controversy emerges against a bleak financial backdrop for Scotland's NHS. The nation's spending watchdog, the Auditor General, has recently issued dire warnings. A report indicated that NHS Ayrshire and Arran faces 'unprecedented' financial challenges and required a £51.4 million loan for the 2024/25 financial year to break even.
A separate report on NHS Grampian warned that achieving financial balance is unlikely without a significant redesign of its health and social care system. The auditor general has previously stated that the finances of the entire Scottish NHS are 'unsustainable.'
Three companies have been approved to supply the actors: Professional Role Players in London, and two Glasgow-based firms, Birdsong Communication Skills and Interact Roleplay. These agencies provide trained actors who can improvise or follow scripts to create realistic medical scenarios for trainees.
