​Labour wants asuancesthat the raiding of endowment funds is not widespread

All Scottish health boards should be investigated to ensure they are not dipping into charity donations to fund themselves.

Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar MSP has demanded assurances after the scandal which rocked NHS Tayside last week.

It was revealed that the health board had taken more that £2 million from its endowment fund, which is made up of public donations or bequests in wills, to cover general running costs which would normally be funded from its core budget.

The Herald newspaper alleged that the cash was used to pay for a new IT system.

However, endowment funds are meant to fund extras over and above standard NHS services, like toys for children’s wards.

NHS Tayside is said to have dipped into the endowment fund in 2013-14 when it was faced with a budget deficit.

Chairman John Connell quit on Friday after health secretary Shona Robison called for his head.

Labour’s Sarwar has written to the Scottish Parliament’s health committee asking members to take take evidence from NHS boards and to reassure the public that charity cash is not being used to cover core funding.

He said: “The scandal at NHS Tayside has seriously damaged public confidence in our NHS.

“That is why it is essential all NHS boards are now called before the health committee to establish how this came to happen and if it is more widespread – starting with NHS Tayside.

“The public need and deserve urgent clarification from other health boards on whether any funds have been misspent elsewhere."

He also called for a further investigation into what has gone wrong at NHS Tayside and the SNP's role in it.

Robison responded: “Details of NHS Tayside’s retrospective use of endowment funding will form part of the externally led review of the governance of NHS Tayside finances and we expect the board to consider its findings carefully and comply fully with any recommendations.”