 Waiting times for treatment are being reformed |
The way money is spent on the NHS has been criticised by a committee of MSPs. A report published on Friday says productive investment south of the border means England is now catching up with Scotland's performance.
The health service is currently going through a period of upheaval with reorganisation and the introduction of new pay contracts.
But a Scottish Parliament committee says the Scottish Executive is not able to monitor the impact of modernisation.
Improved pay
A report from the audit committee suggests that the executive does not presently have the information tools needed to check whether current reforms are improving services or what more needs to be done.
The MSPs also believe good practice is not being spread uniformly across Scotland and warn that England is performing better.
The report says that is because England is now steadily narrowing the NHS spending gap with Scotland - and the new money south of the border is being invested in productive reforms.
Audit committee convener Brian Monteith said the Scottish Executive would not be able to measure whether services were improving as a result of the improved pay and conditions deal.
The Tory MSP said: "Pay modernisation is clearly expected to realise important patient benefits and encourage the re-design of services to make better use of resources.
"Yet the Scottish Executive's health department lacks robust information on the costs of pay modernisation and the patient benefits which are expected to result appear not to have been determined in all cases.
"At the same time, NHS information systems have not kept up with changes in clinical practice and improvements which are essential if the benefits of increased investment are to be monitored and reported."
The committee recommended that the executive's health department set out how and when it plans to overhaul information collection.
"Overall, our committee is not convinced that the health department is able to ensure that value for money will be delivered from the extra investment in the NHS in Scotland," Mr Monteith said.
But Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said ministers were monitoring the new contracts as they take effect.
He said: "We are at a very early stage, we are putting a lot of effort into this and we will certainly monitor the effects for patients."
The committee held three evidence sessions in March and April and took evidence from various NHS boards and the executive.
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Over all, our committee is not convinced that the health department is able to ensure that value for money will be delivered from the extra investment in the NHS in Scotland. 
