Sir Harry Burns said that there had been a notable shift in direction under the SNP

A former chief medical officer believes that the SNP has made significant improvements in the health of Scottish people after almost a decade of ineffective Labour policies.

Sir Harry Burns, who was appointed by Jack McConnell’s Labour Scottish executive in 2005, said that there had been a notable shift in direction in the Scottish parliament under the SNP.

Tony Blair said in an interview with Holyrood magazine to mark 20 years of devolution that the SNP had not made “massive improvements” in healthcare. He added that devolution had not made much of a difference in Scottish policy and that independence would be no more transformative.

“If you believe that there are things that you can’t do, that if only you were able to do,