The Scotsman leads with polling from the Liberal Democrats which suggests that people who are unable to see doctors are turning to “self medication and DIY treatments”. The paper says senior health officials have called on the Scottish and UK governments to declare a national NHS major incident.
The Scottish Daily Mail leads with the same data, that one in eight patients are becoming “DIY doctors”. It adds a quarter of adults have tried and failed to see their doctor face to face in the last year.
The Times leads with comments from the chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, Dr Iain Kennedy, who said the SNP are providing “no political direction” in the healthcare crisis. He said the NHS’s “all-you-can-eat buffet” approach was no longer sustainable, though the health secretary has refused to consider any rollback of care for less critical illnesses, the paper reports.
According to a poll shown exclusively to the i, Conservative voters blame the government for the crisis within the NHS. The paper says 73% of Tory voters say the party’s running of the health service was a failure, with just 16% saying it was a success.
The Daily Record leads with the death of former Celtic and St Mirren forward Frank McGarvey. The 66-year-old revealed his cancer diagnosis in October and appeared on the Celtic Park pitch before a game against Hibernian to thank fans for their support.
The Glasgow Times similarly leads with tributes to the “icon”, who scored 174 goals from 499 senior league appearances. The paper says fans have called him an “extraordinary man and footballer”.
Council tax debt in Scotland has risen by almost two thirds since the pandemic, reports The Herald. The paper says the figure is expected to increase given the cost of living and the “spectre” of council tax increases as councils attempt to cope with a £450m “black hole” in budgets.
The Scottish Daily Express says that thousands of prisoners have been caught with drugs in jail, with the annual figure increasing by 1,100% over the last seven years.
The Daily Telegraph leads with comments from Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr who says Holyrood’s committees are packed with SNP MSPs loyal to Nicola Sturgeon, resulting in proceedings being “rigorously controlled” by ministers.
An absence of smoke alarms in north east households makes the front page of The Press and Journal. The paper says in Aberdeenshire, 58 homes out of 145 that caught fire in the last year did not have the devices – the highest percentage across the Scottish mainland.
The “gloves are off” for Prince Harry and Prince William, claims The Scottish Sun. The paper reports the Duke of Sussex’s new book, Spare, will take the brothers’ war to a new level and reveal more than his Netflix series did.
The Evening Express reports on a death following a one-car crash in Aberdeen city centre.
Hogmanay celebrations make the front page of the Edinburgh Evening News after the city enjoyed its first new year party since 2019.
And the Daily Star of Scotland leads with Scots taking a traditional new year dip in the Firth of Forth.
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