Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 10 February 2011
10 Feb 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Scottish Executive Question Time
Monklands Hospital (Bed Numbers)
Health and Wellbeing
As I have said to Karen Whitefield, I am more than happy to look into it. However, as she surely understands, any health board will flex its number of beds depending on demand, much of which will be seasonally driven. The idea that a health board will increase the number of beds at particular times should not come as a surprise to anybody, and she would not expect a board to keep beds open at other times of the year when they were not needed.
Listening to Karen Whitefield, I cannot help wondering what the impact on beds and services at Monklands hospital might have been if the Labour plan to close its accident and emergency unit had gone ahead. Sometimes the hypocrisy from that side of the chamber is simply breathtaking.
Bed numbers should reflect models of service delivery. Bed numbers throughout Scotland declined significantly under the previous Administration, often for good service redesign reasons. What matters is the speed and quality of treatment for patients, and I am glad to say that both those things have improved under this Administration.
Listening to Karen Whitefield, I cannot help wondering what the impact on beds and services at Monklands hospital might have been if the Labour plan to close its accident and emergency unit had gone ahead. Sometimes the hypocrisy from that side of the chamber is simply breathtaking.
Bed numbers should reflect models of service delivery. Bed numbers throughout Scotland declined significantly under the previous Administration, often for good service redesign reasons. What matters is the speed and quality of treatment for patients, and I am glad to say that both those things have improved under this Administration.
In the same item of business
Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab)
Lab
18. To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the reduction in bed numbers at Monklands hospital is having on patient care. (S3O-12990)
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing (Nicola Sturgeon)
SNP
NHS Lanarkshire has assured me that any changes to the number of beds and the way that they are used in hospitals is driven by the primary consideration of m...
Karen Whitefield
Lab
Is the minister aware of the concerns of a number of my constituents who, while visiting relatives at Wester Moffat hospital in Airdrie, witnessed taxis brin...
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
If Karen Whitefield wants to send me the particular details of what she alleges, I am more than happy to look into it—
Karen Whitefield
Lab
It was my constituents.
Nicola Sturgeon
SNP
As I have said to Karen Whitefield, I am more than happy to look into it. However, as she surely understands, any health board will flex its number of beds d...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
That concludes questions on health and wellbeing.
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was in the chamber from the start of questions on health and wellbeing and I know that you only got to the 18th que...
Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab)
Lab
Come on, come on, Presiding Officer.
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I will not take directions from members from a sedentary position. I recently reminded members that they are expected to be in their places by the start of t...