Labour’s Shadow Minister for Health Inequalities, Rhoda Grant MSP, is to meet with Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, to discuss a number of issues which have been raised with her over recent weeks.
Rhoda Grant said: “Issues including bed blocking in Stornoway, bed reduction in the Uists, access to out of hours care, lack of health visitors and GP cover in wards have all been raised with me recently. Some by individuals, some by politicians, some by community groups, some even anonymously.
Mrs Grant continued: “I discussed these issues with the chief executive of the health board and have been offered reassurance on some matters, particularly the proposal by Alasdair Morrison to convert a level of the Bethesda to tackle the bed blocking issue in Stornoway.
“I have no doubt that Gordon Jamieson and his colleagues throughout NHS Western Isles are doing their utmost to provide the best services possible within the budgets they have been given to work with.
“My concern however is that these budgets do not provide the resources required to adequately run a health service in a remote and rural part of Scotland, far less on an island community, and I intend to make the Cabinet Secretary aware of this.
“A centralising, central belt focussed government is bad for island communities. Shona Robison needs to be made aware of this and needs to understand how difficult it is, for example, crossing the Clisham in the dead of night, in wintery conditions, to access out of hours care.”
Grant to meet health minister over isles health concerns
25 April 2015