Scotland’s new health secretary says he has been struck by a feeling of “hopelessness within the system”, and has assured NHS staff he will do “anything he can” to lever support from the Scottish government.

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Michael Matheson told NHS staff at this year’s NHS Scotland Event that he would try his best to improve conditions for staff – including pay.

In his speech to kick-off the event to mark the 75^th anniversary of NHS Scotland, he said sustainable services, a growing role for primary care, and an integrated health and care system will define the future of the sector under his leadership.

Junior doctors in Scotland intend to strike next month, following their rejection of a pay offer that would see their salaries rise by 14.5% over two years.

In a Q&A session with Clinical Director Jason Leitch, Mr Matheson said unions’ concerns are legitimate, but the current financial environment has forced him to juggle many competing demands:

“I want to try and do the right thing for staff. And the unions, quite legitimately and rightly, bat very strongly for staff in the NHS.

“I have massive competing demands … and there’s an unending level of demand for resource in the system.

“So don’t feel as though it’s disinterest at all – that’s simply not the case. I hope we can get things resolved with the junior doctors – it won’t be through a lack of effort – and I’ll do anything I can to try and avoid that.”

Mr Matheson confirmed that he will enter into negotiations with other unions later this year to consider pay settlements for “years to come”.

The Health Secretary – who, between 2011 and 2014, was in charge of the public health portfolio – said many of the challenges he saw in the system almost 10 years ago remain.

He told the NHS Scotland Event attendees that the National Care Service “must be successful”, as he highlighted his career-beginnings an occupational therapist which he said have given him first-hand appreciation of the importance of an integrated health and social care system.

Closing his speech, Mr Matheson asked staff to think about how they can work together to renew the NHS to face the challenges of the future:

“One of the things I have been stuck by during the course of the last couple of months is – I’d almost describe it as – a feeling of hopelessness at times in the system, where for the last two to three years you were in a system working flat out, trying to deal with the pandemic and with all the challenges that goes with that.

“And it feels to me as well that there’s a feeling, to some degree, that it’s always going to be as challenging as it is today. It won’t be. Things will get better. Things will improve, things will change, But it won’t happen because of me and it won’t happen because of Caroline [Lamb, the CEO of NHS Scotland].

“It’ll happen because of you and how you take our NHS forward.”

Read more: Who are Scotland’s new health and care ministers?; New health and care secretary named; Briefing: Cabinet Secretary plans for health and care

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