The Scottish Government needs to provide ‘effective leadership’ instead of delegating public sector reform to individual agencies, the Auditor General has said.
Stephen Boyle, who oversees external scrutiny of government bodies at Audit Scotland, said collaboration between different public sector agencies has not delivered the change envisioned in the landmark Christie Commission 13 years ago.
Boyle said government services are “increasingly struggling to cope” with the demands placed on them, and that reform was now “urgent”.
He conceded that it has been a “bruising four years” for the public sector, with a global pandemic and then a cost of living crisis.
However he said longer-standing issues within the NHS and justice system have become “deeper-rooted” and there is a requirement for good governance to sort them out.
And he said the key to understanding where value for money was being delivered was in greater transparency and better data.
Boyle, in a blog post, wrote: “Getting governance right goes hand in hand with an effective vision to reform the public sector. This is now urgent.
“But the best plan in the world is no use without effective leadership.
“It’s not enough, for example, for ministers to delegate reform by asking other public sector bodies to set out their own individual plans. The Scottish Government needs to take on a greater leadership role.
“We know other public bodies want that. It’s the priceless ingredient capable of galvanising other leaders to deliver change and more resilient public services.”
Boyle added that the Scottish Government needs to be “clear in its vision” and that a shift towards a preventative approach for its services was required.
And he argued that spending would have to be reduced in certain domains for money to be invested elsewhere.
He added: “Without an increase in the scale and pace of reform, the danger is that successive governments will inherit the same problems. The cycle will remain unbroken, and services will increasingly be unable to cope.
“It’s a tough task. The Scottish Government has limited borrowing powers and must balance its budget each year. It also has to juggle immediate concerns with making the time to lead on the redesign of public services.
“But that time for planning and leadership of the public sector must be made. The alternative – short-term cuts to balance annual budgets without a long-term plan for reform – risks storing up even greater problems for our communities.”