Meeting of the Parliament 28 September 2016
The vision for the Vale has saved that local hospital. We will make sure that those services that would have been lost under the previous proposals are improved. Of course, the local hospital has seen a big improvement and increase in the number of patients using its facilities.
I note that Opposition parties constantly call for increased investment in primary and community care and say that they support shifting the balance of care—the Tories said that only last week. At the same time, they come and seek to oppose each and every proposed change—even where changes are not proposed—in acute services.
Collectively, we will have to come to some decisions about whether politicians in this Parliament will argue against any change, anywhere, ever happening in our NHS now or in the future. If that were to be the case, the shift in the balance of care and the increased investment in primary care—as called for by the Tories only last week—will be made all the more difficult to achieve.
I reiterate this Government’s commitment to the delivery of high-quality, sustainable health and social care services. Where there are proposals for major service change in the NHS, they must be subject to formal public consultation and, ultimately, ministerial approval. I do not shirk my responsibility in doing that whatsoever. Local people can be assured that, in all such cases, ministers take into account all the available information and representations before coming to a final decision. That is a proper and responsible way to run our health service.
I move amendment S5M-01677.1, to leave out from “the widespread public concern” to end and insert:
“that no decisions have been made in respect of current service change proposals from NHS boards; welcomes the Scottish Government’s record of protecting local services, including saving the A and E departments in Monklands and Ayr, ending a decade of damaging uncertainty in 2009 by approving the Vision for the Vale of Leven Hospital, and securing inpatient paediatric services at St John’s Hospital in line with the independent report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; recognises that there is an established process around service change in the NHS, and that the decision about whether a particular service change is deemed major is one that is taken in consultation with the independent Scottish Health Council, which was established in statute in 2005 to support and advise NHS boards and to quality-assure the public involvement process; endorses the National Clinical Strategy, which was published in February 2016, with its aim to provide more care where people need it and with as much care as possible delivered locally, and remains committed to maintaining and improving safe and effective local services across Scotland.”
15:07Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.