AN NHS whistleblower has said emergency care at the Vale of Leven Hospital could be ‘unsustainable’ in the future.

A document was leaked ahead of today’s independence referendum, which is reported to reveal a £450m gap in Scotland’s NHS funding in 2015/17.

The report was presented to a meeting of NHS bosses on August 6.

Services described as ‘unsustainable’ by the whistleblower included emergency care services at the Vale.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s deputy first minister, said NHS boards regularly discuss plans and budgets with the Scottish Government.

She added: “This is a discussion document not a decision document. I’m part of a Government that has protected the revenue budgets of the health service and will continue to strive to do that.

“It’s a discussion document written in the context of the status quo, not in the context of independence.” However, Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton and the Vale, MSP, accused the SNP of hiding the truth ahead of the vote.

She said: “The SNP has been peddling scare stories about the NHS but now we know that the real threat to our hospitals and clinics comes from Alex Salmond.

“Imagine the feeling if you voted Yes on Thursday because Alex Salmond said it would protect the NHS only to wake up on Friday to find out about his half a billion pound of cuts.

“The truth is, only a No vote on Thursday will protect our NHS.” Alex Neil, Health Secretary, said the budget challenge outlined in the report is a ‘direct result’ of funding cuts at Westminster.

He added: “The NHS budget planning paper makes the point that even with those real terms increases, the NHS still have to rise to challenges — which makes the point that only with a Yes vote and full control of Scotland’s finances will we be able to properly protect Scotland’s NHS.

“The main budget challenge identified in the paper is as a direct result of Westminster decision-making on pensions.

“With independence we can stop wasting money on Trident and the Westminster system, including the House of Lords, and instead focus on Scotland’s needs.

“We’ve fully protected Scotland’s NHS within our fixed budget, despite the Tories’ cuts to Scotland.” A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde declined to comment.