Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 01 December 2021
I, too, offer my condolences to the families and loved ones who have lost children and relatives at the Royal hospital for children and young people and the Queen Elizabeth university hospital. Too many have been lost over the past few years.
I want to put on record that, although I do not agree with Anas Sarwar’s conclusions, he is right to make Government and health boards feel uncomfortable, given what has happened over the past few years.
At the core of this afternoon’s debate is the Opposition’s clear suggestion that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde should immediately be escalated to stage 5 of the performance escalation framework. That would, in effect, subject the board to direct ministerial control.
I do not think that that suggestion acknowledges the complexity of the situation or the on-going work that is taking place. I think that it suggests—unintentionally, I am sure—that escalation would be a solution to the most serious issues that the Queen Elizabeth university hospital and the Royal hospital for children and young people have faced. It is unclear to me how doing so would make a substantial difference at this time. The suggestion also ignores substantial progress that appears to have been made.
None of the politicians here is an expert on healthcare.