Report to the People
Maternity Units
For most of us, becoming a parent is one of the most powerful experiences of our lives.
It is not surprising, then, that any talk about provision of maternity services is always highly charged. Passions run especially high when changes in an area are being discussed. And so it was last Thursday, when we debated these issues in Parliament.
I was glad of the opportunity to speak in the debate because, although the discussion essentially concerned maternity services in Ayrshire, it raised a wider issue which impinges on the rest of Scotland.
The issue is the artificial Health Board boundaries which have no basis in geography and can lead to some illogical outcomes.
At first sight, the issue of boundaries may not appear the most exciting political topic. However, they are of great relevance to the ongoing reviews of health service provision which are currently being carried out throughout Scotland.
There is, of course, a review taking place in our own area. Its purpose is to establish how we can best deliver quality services for everyone. However, arbitrary boundary lines could lead to unacceptable outcomes.
Consider the Argyll and Clyde. It includes the Vale of Leven hospital, Inverclyde Royal Hospital, and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
One option in Inverclyde is that maternity services at the Inverclyde Royal would move to the RAH, or vice versa. Would we even be considering that option if the artificial boundary was not there? Next door and up the road to Glasgow we have the situation where Queen Mother's and Yorkhill hospitals will be based only four miles from the unit at Paisley, and the next nearest hospital to the west would be Crosshouse. That is a piece of nonsense — it must be challenged.
It is understandable that constituency MSPs get excited when their local maternity hospital is threatened. And I do not pretend that we have all the answers.
But if we are to deliver first class health care for everyone, we must focus on delivery of services and their quality, rather than what side of an imaginary line a building falls.
A full transcript of the Parliamentary debate is available at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/session-00/or060204.htm#Col199
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