THE SNP and Labour have clashed over health spending as the election campaign entered its final seven days.

The Nationalists claimed Labour planned to invest less, proportionately, in the Scottish NHS than the Conservatives have pledged for health south of the Border.

Labour dismissed the charge as "wrong" and said the SNP's own promises to increase health spending were "dishonest".

The party's public services spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "The SNP are making promises they plan to break on the NHS as health boards face millions of pounds of cuts, family doctors face their worst crisis in a generation and a £50million IT project faces yet more delays.

Shona Robison, the SNP's health secretary, insisted: "Under the SNP, Scotland’s NHS is receiving record funding, and record numbers of staff are helping to deliver some of the lowest waiting times on record."

The latest problems with the much-delayed NHS 24 IT system were revealed by The Herald.

The paper has also been calling for a full review of health and social care capacity as part of our NHS Time for Action campaign.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats also hit out at the SNP's record on primary care and mental health provision.

"The SNP are complacent on health," Jim Hume, the party's health spokesman said.

The clashes came as Labour was buoyed by a new poll giving it a small but clear lead over the Conservatives in the battle for second place in next Thursday's election.

The TNS survey showed Labour's share of the constituency vote rose three points over last month to 22 per cent, five points ahead of the Conservatives.

In the regional ballot, Labour was also on 22 per cent, ahead of the Tories on 18 per cent.

The SNP, on 52 per cent in the constituency vote, retained an overwhelming lead despite its support slipping four points.

Labour received a second boost from a new report commissioned by trade union UNISON which said Scotland needed an "urgent exit from austerity" to protect services and improve future economic prospects.

It backed an increase in income tax, the plan at the heart of Labour's manifesto.

Dave Watson, UNISON head of policy and public affairs said, "What this report shows is that the continued cuts to public services are unsustainable, and if continued will do long lasting damage. "There is no simple solution however there are options open to the Scottish Government which can both limit the damage and set us on a path to recovery, whether that is more borrowing or tax rises."

Despite the boost, Scottish Labour continued to come attack over its opposition to the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, as Ruth Davidson, the Scots Tory leader, lambasted the party's position as "a farce".

And, as UK Labour suspended Ken Livingstone after he defended an MP accused of anti-semitism, Ken Macintosh, the party's candidate in Eastwood, was forced to issue a statement underlining his support for the constituency's large Jewish population.

A new study by researchers at Strathclyde University found Labour voters were less left wing than those supporting the SNP.

Both sets of voters were equally likely to describe themselves as left-wing, the study found, but SNP voters were more strongly in favour of increased benefits, radical land reform and free university tuition.

John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde, said: "On a number of key issues, Labour voters are apparently less keen than SNP supporters on government funding and intervention.

"The electoral battle between Labour and the SNP at this election is apparently not just about whether Scotland should or should not be in the UK, but also reflects a divergence of view on how big a role voters think the government should play in Scotland.

A separate poll, commissioned by the online grassroots campaign organisation 38 Degrees, found only 37 per cent of voters believe the parties "have plans that show the right level of ambition in their use of Holyrood’s new powers".

The Survation poll of more than 2000 Scottish voters found that nearly 60 per cent were aware the parliament was gaining new powers.

Seven in 10 (71 per cent) believed they would make the next parliament more accountable than before.

The same number agreed that "Scottish politicians should blame Westminster politicians less about issues that Scotland now has the power to change".