Shona Robison has revealed that strains in her personal life contributed to her decision to step down as Health Secretary.
The Dundee East MSP, who is a close personal friend of Nicola Sturgeon’s, cited a health scare and the death of her parents as factors in quitting the cabinet.
In her resignation letter to the First Minister, she said: “As you know this last year has been particularly challenging for me personally, losing both my parents, having a health scare of my own, and some big changes in my personal life.
“I thank you for your support during these difficult times.
“I feel that I have reached a point in my life just now where I would be best to step down from a role in Government.
“I have entered a new chapter of my life, including a new relationship, where it would be good to take time to focus on those closest to me, who have too often had to come second place to my job, which has been hard for us all.”
In 2016, the mother-of-one split from her Dundee East MP husband Stewart Hosie shortly before tabloid newspaper reports emerged about his private life.
Ms Robison’s “health scare” is understood to relate to being recalled for a breast screening at Ninewells.
In an interview with Holyrood Magazine earlier this month, she described going through “all the fears”, before being cleared.
“You know, when I arrived home and opened the letter, I expected it to say, ‘we’ll see you in another few years’, and when it said, ‘we need to see you again’, it catches your breath,” she said.
“You think, ‘oh my God’ and the leaflets come and you read through them and your mind takes over, as it would for any woman in that situation.”
Ms Robison took the health secretary job in November 2014 after holding the position of Cabinet Secretary for the Commonwealth Games.
The letter in full:
I write to offer my resignation as Minister in the Scottish Government.
It has been an honour to serve in the Scottish Government over the last ten years. Scotland’s NHS is one of our most treasured national institutions and it has been an immense privilege to serve as Health Secretary over the last the last three and a half years, albeit at times very challenging and all consuming.
We should be very proud of the staff who work in our health and care services, they do a tremendous job day in and day out and I thank them personally for their efforts. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many fantastic and inspiring people over my time in the role, our NHS staff are truly the beating heart of the service. As I leave office, I am personally delighted to have been able to offer them a pay rise of at least 9% over the next 3 years.
I wish my successor all the very best in this very challenging role. Our NHS of course faces the pressures that health services across the western world are facing. Our twin approach of delivering investment and reform will help ensure our NHS ensures well beyond its 70th birthday. In recent years we’ve delivered a new GP contract; expanded healthcare training places; taken forward the integration of health and social care; delivered the real living wage to adult social care staff; and started the journey to ensure that mental health services are treated with parity of esteem alongside physical conditions. These reforms now begun will go a long way in ensuring they are ready to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Although, I am perhaps most proud to have been the Cabinet Secretary to see our long fought for Minimum Unit Pricing legislation come into force.
As you know this last year has been particularly challenging for me personally, losing both my parents, having a health scare of my own, and some big changes in my personal life. I thank you for your support during these difficult times.
I feel that I have reached a point in my life just now where I would be best to step down from a role in Government. I have entered a new chapter of my life, including a new relationship, where it would be good to take time to focus on those closest to me, who have too often had to come second place to my job, which has been hard for us all.
