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Minutes of Annual General Meeting of the Health Service Forum South East held in the Larkfield Centre on 8th April 2003 at 7.30pm.
Contents
Election of officers by unanimous agreement
Welcome
The Chairman, Margaret Hinds, welcomed everyone to the meeting and handed over the chair to Louise Laing.
Apologies
Apologies:- Douglas and Myrtle McGregor, Margaret Mitchell, Alastair Glen., Eric Canning, Fran MacLennan.
Minutes
The Minutes of the AGM of 14th May 2002 were adopted as correct.
Election of officers by unanimous agreement
President Dr Pat Lally, , Vice President Professor Douglas McGregor,
Chairman Margaret Hinds, Vice Chairman Eric Canning, Secretary Louise Laing, Treasurer Aileen Fyfe, Minute Secretary Mary Hamilton,
Membership Secretary Fran McLennan
It was agreed that other members of the Forum are willing to serve on committees as and when required.
Chair’s Report
The re-elected chairman once again took the chair.
Copies of the chairman’s report and the audited Treasurer’s report were distributed at the meeting. The bank balance as at the 31st March 2003 was £1466.12. We are operating on a loan of £1400 from a member who kindly paid for the original transport study. Membership fees will remain as last year. Full membership £5.00, unwaged £3.00 and Group membership £20.00.
The treasurer made it very clear that the finances of the Health Service Forum are quite separate from the campaign funds for Margaret Hinds in the forthcoming election.
The AGM closed.
Minutes of the regular meeting of the Health Service Forum held in the Larkfield Centre on Tuesday 8th April 2003
Contents
Margaret Hinds’ comments on the election
Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of the 11th March 2003 were adopted as correct.
Correspondence In
1. A letter has been received from the Scottish Executive, Frank McAveety inviting the Forum to name a representative to attend meetings of the ‘monitoring’ group for South Glasgow under the chairmanship of Peter Mullen, the former head teacher of Holyrood School. The meeting decided that two names should be put forward. The second Forum member would be able to attend if the other was unable to do so. The first committee meeting takes place on the 6th June.
Treasurer’s report
The balance as at the 8th April is £1466. 00
Hustings Meetings
Each of the political parties have been asked to supply a speaker on Health matters to attend a) the Couper Institute on the 14th April and b) the Clarkston Hall on 22nd April. Margaret Hinds and Pat Lally are contesting Eastwood and Cathcart respectively under the banner of Local Health Concern. Eric Canning will chair both meetings.
Comments from the floor.
Concern was expressed that patients after major surgery were being sent home on the same day provided that someone was willing to look after them at home!
Parking at the Royal Infirmary is going to cost £560 per year for all grades of staff.
Margaret Hinds’ comments on the election
It was certainly a lot of work and effort but very worth while. The comments from members of the public in support of the work and effort the Forum had put in over the years was very rewarding. If we had more time we could have had an even greater impact. For example, on parents with young children - when they realised the implication of having no A&E at the Vic, would have on their children. All kids under 12 must go to Yorkhill, but at present they can be taken to the Vic and stabilised before being sent to Yorkhill by ambulance. Quite a number of parents said that is what had already happened with their kids, and they had not realised the impact of having no A&E would have.
Older people were very supportive, in fact only two people were not, and they were members of Greater Glasgow Health Council! Given more time and money we could have been a force to be reckoned with.
However, as I said in my speech at the count, there is no way we are accepting a stand-alone ACAD, what we need for the South East of Glasgow is a new modern acute hospital. We will continue to fight for that. The population of the South side is large enough and continuing to grow, and deserves no less.
I have since had a number of phone calls asking me where we go from here and I tell them what I said at the count. There is no way that an office- hours hospital, opening hours 8:00am to 8:00pm closed Saturday and Sunday, without any in-patient beds, is adequate provision for our population.
Continue to give your support to the Forum. In Eastwood we did remarkably well on a four-week campaign, with only 12 people helping, and we must continue to build on this.
Renew your membership and ask your friends to join, we have a cause worth fighting for and a sympathetic member in Parliament, Dr Jean Turner. In addition, we now have the support of most political parties including Ken Macintosh, who vows to fight on for the Vicky!
Pat Lally did well contesting the Cathcart seat and winning 10% of the overall votes cast. I'm sure, he feels as I do, that it was a battle worth fighting.
JOIN THE FORUM AND CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR A MODERN ACUTE HOSPITAL SUITABLE FOR THE 21st CENTURY.
Date of Next Meeting
The date of the next meeting is Tuesday 13th May at 7.30 p.m. in the Larkfield Centre.
