17th August 2005
Health
Board Forced into Children’s Ward U-Turn
Soon-to-be-axed NHS
Argyll and Clyde bosses have been forced into a humiliating u-turn after yet
another consultation shambles.
The
Board members - who were given their marching orders in May after Health
Minister, Andy Kerr, finally lost patience with their blundering - had sought to
use the consultation on the break-up of the board as an excuse to force through
the downgrading of paediatric services at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
But,
following representations made by MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan
McNeil, Health Minister, Andy Kerr, has ordered the board not to make any
decision until after the consultation.
Welcoming
the Minister’s swift, firm action, Mr McNeil said:
“I
was outraged - if not surprised - at this latest underhand move from the worst
health board in the country.
“They
were trying to use a completely unrelated consultation as an excuse to force
through another half-baked, crazy centralisation scheme.
In fact, I know that even they admit there is no clinical case and no
financial need for this move.
“When
I made representations to the Scottish Consumers’ Council, they were worried.
When I spoke to Greater Glasgow Health Board about whether they were
happy at Argyll & Clyde boxing them into a corner, they were outraged. And, when I wrote to the Health Minister, he nearly hit the
roof - and wasted no time in putting the board in their place.
“Sadly,
this is no more than I’ve come to expect from NHS Argyll and Clyde.
Even when they know they’re for the chop, they are still determined to
fillet our hospital. This smacks of
petulance and vindictiveness and the sooner we’re shot of them the better.”
ENDS
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