Report to the People
Rankin Campaign Update
Once again, the future of the Rankin Maternity Unit is dominating the headlines.
For a pleasant change, however, the news we have been discussing, and which I was able to report at Saturday’s Rankin Rally, has been more encouraging.
As you will have read in the Telegraph, John Mullin, Chairman of the new Unitary Health Board, has criticised the maternity review process and has recognised the anxiety it has generated. He has also made it clear that the consultation process does not come up to the standards he will expect under the new Unitary Board.
The Steering Group’s deeply unpopular and heavily criticised recommendations, which he has downgraded to a simple research paper, created, he says, a false perception that the decision had already been taken.
Incidentally, Mr Mullin re-emphasised to me last week that no decision has been made. We were, it seems, therefore right to keep faith and ignore the Jeremiahs who told us from the sidelines that we were wasting our time as the deal was done.
While not wishing to get carried away, I am genuinely pleased at this news.
When I met Mr Mullin, just a few days after he was appointed, I expressed my disappointment that the review process had seemingly ignored every one of the strong, hard arguments which had been made in favour of the Rankin Unit.
The fact that at his first board meeting as boss he publicly accepted and moved to address these concerns is a good sign. After well over a year of questions and meetings in the Scottish Parliament, in the community and in health bosses’ boardrooms, putting the hard arguments in favour of the Rankin, I am delighted that someone is finally listening.
So where does all this leave us?
The next stage of the process is that the Steering Group’s (recently demoted) options now go to the Acute Trust Board for consideration. This will happen at its next meeting later this month and, if approved, the plans will be referred up to the Health Board.
However, given the Chairman’s comments on the recommendations, I would be very surprised if the Trust Board decided to put them up to the new Unified Board in their current form.
While it is important that we do not let our guard down, I am pleased that our arguments will no longer fall on deaf ears.
I also congratulate Mr Mullin for restoring some of my faith in Health Service management.
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