IRH
Plans – Independent Expert to Hear of “Serious Flaws”
The
top academic charged with carrying out the independent evaluation of NHS Argyll
and Clyde's under-fire clinical strategy will hear the case for Inverclyde Royal
Hospital this Friday (2nd July 2004).
Dr
Andrew Walker, a leading Health Economist at Glasgow University’s Robertson
Centre for Biostatistics, will meet with Greenock
and Inverclyde’s MSP and MP, Duncan McNeil and David Cairns, to hear their
concerns over the Health Board’s “seriously flawed” plans.
Speaking
ahead of the meeting, Mr McNeil said:
“Having
worked with Dr Walker in the past, I know he is well-respected and that his
opinions carry a great deal of weight.
“David
and I are therefore very pleased that he is keen to discuss what we see as the
major mistakes in the Health Board’s plan at such an early opportunity.”
On
what he hoped the meeting would achieve, Mr McNeil commented:
“I
would not seek to pre-empt Dr Walker’s expert analysis, but, having been
fighting centralisation in Scotland’s NHS for years and having looked at these
plans in some detail, I am convinced they are seriously flawed and that a better
way forward can be found. I want to
leave Dr Walker in no doubt about exactly why I have arrived at that conclusion.
“He
should also, I feel, be made aware of the true scale of the task he is taking on
and the extent to which trust between this community and the Health Board has
broken down.”
Mr
Cairns added:
“People
do not trust the consultation process and they are worried that it will be a
sham. I recognise that Dr Walker has a difficult job, but I want
assurances from him that he will maintain the integrity of the consultation
process and be open to considering other options.
“Local
people are already coming along to my surgeries saying that there is no point in
taking part in the consultation because they feel the fate of our local
hospitals has already been decided. But I would urge everyone to go along
to the public meetings, and to contact the Health Board to let them know that we
will not be taking this lying down.”
Talking
of his hopes for the meeting Mr Cairns continued:
“The
Rankin consultation left many feeling disillusioned and embittered and I want to
ensure that the Health Board has learned from this and does not make the same
mistakes again. For consultation to be meaningful, you must be willing to
change your plans after hearing people's views.”
Glasgow
University’s Robertson Centre for Biostatistics is part of the Faculty of
Information and Mathematical Sciences and is linked to the Department of
Statistics.
The
Centre was established to carry out research in biostatistical methodology, to
encourage its application to practical problems and to participate in research
initiatives addressing major medical and biological issues.
Areas
of particular interest include clinical trials, statistical issues in
epidemiology, and health economics.
ENDS
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