THE First Minister defended criticism of lost NHS working hours by reminding the Scottish Labour leader that Scotland's health service would be "£758 million worse off" if Labour won the 2016 election.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard had claimed that more than 3.5 million working hours have been lost in the NHS through stress or mental health problems.

He said his party had obtained the statistics through freedom of information legislation, and called on the Scottish Government to better support NHS staff.

According to the Labour leader, who said staff are "being let down", the number made up 24.7% of all NHS absences last year and showed a rise in the proportion of mental health absences since 2014/15.

At First Minister's Questions, Leonard also raised an Audit Scotland report – released last week – which said the NHS is "running too hot", putting pressure on staff.

He asked First Minister Nicola Sturgeon what she plans to do about the problem.

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She said: "We will continue to support those who work in the NHS. Sickness absence in the NHS fluctuates, but it has remained fairly stable in the last few years.

The National: Scottish Labour leader Richard LeonardScottish Labour leader Richard Leonard

"There are more people working in our National Health Service now than it was when this Government took office.

"We will continue, in tough times for the NHS ... to support our front-line staff in the essential work that they do."

The First Minister also claimed that if the Scottish Labour Party had won the 2016 Holyrood election, the NHS would be £758 million worse off in this financial year.

She added: "This Government will stand by our NHS staff, I'm not sure Labour would have."

Leonard asked the First Minister: "What does Scotland's National Health Service need? Another decade of cuts, prescribed by your own blueprint for independence. Or the £70 billion of investment in our public services that would result from the election of a Labour government?"

Sturgeon said the work being done by the Scottish Government on the NHS is resulting in improved performance.

She said: "It's only because there is an SNP Government in Scotland today that this NHS is the best performing in the UK."