Meeting of the Parliament 28 September 2016
I am happy to pass to the cabinet secretary the board paper, if she has not read it, that makes it clear that the board regards the change as a minor service change. If she disagrees with the health board, perhaps she should tell it and call in the proposal. She can do that today.
The centre for integrative care, which is currently an in-patient service that delivers holistic care to patients, was said to be a national resource by the Minister for Mental Health, Maureen Watt, and the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Alex Neil. I had the pleasure of visiting the centre last Friday, and I heard at first hand from clinicians, nurses and patients about the difference that the in-patient service makes to them and the impacts if it closed. Again, that is not deemed to be a major service change.
At Monklands hospital, the plans are to remove not just trauma orthopaedics, but all in-patient orthopaedics. A little under two weeks ago, I attended a public meeting in Coatbridge at which not a single Scottish National Party or health board representative turned up. If they had done so, they would have felt the unanimous strength of feeling in support of their local services.
Let us be clear about what the changes would mean to Monklands. They are major service changes. In the words of Lanarkshire NHS Board:
“This will be a major change in the configuration of several key acute specialties (including critical care, general surgery, orthopaedics and rehabilitation).”