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Health Service Forum South East
Minutes of a regular meeting of the Health Service Forum S.E. held in the Larkfield Centre Tues 12 June 2007
Contents
Councillor Alistair Watson, chairman of Strathclyde Passenger Transport
Report on the South Monitoring Group meeting of the 8 June
Welcome
Margaret Hinds welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced Councilor Alistair Watson, chairman of Strathclyde Passenger Transport.
Councillor Alistair Watson, chairman of Strathclyde Passenger Transport
In his introduction Alistair Watson stated that road traffic is increasing at the rate of 8-9% annually. Obviously this is not sustainable but how can people be persuaded to use public transport? Bus services operate for profit not need. The SPT subsidises local bus services. In London a franchise system is in place and this includes meeting the needs of customers as part of the package. Alistair had a meeting with former Health Minister, Andy Kerr, to discuss the travel requirements of patients associated with the changes in the Health Service. Every department of a Health Board has its own transport budget. The solution is not to provide thousands of parking spaces but to move from reliance on a car or taxi to public transport. He is aware that the public transport services at present are not reliable. There is working group looking at flexi-buses available for all sorts of uses. This would remove the stigma of a special bus. Many vehicles in public sector have too much down time.
The existing road network around the SGH is not up to the task of dealing with the increase in traffic that will result from the reconfiguration of the Glasgow hospitals. The planning application submitted by the Health Board is subject to a traffic impact study. The Health Minister will be asked to put resources into the road transport system something in the order of £10million.
Alistair Watson was optimistic that SPT would be able to provide a public transport system to support the thousands of patients, visitors and staff traveling to the ACAD for treatment, investigation or day surgery from all parts of the south of Glasgow, as well as the thousands travelling to the SGH for inpatient treatment and A&E.
How to convince the public to abandon their cars and take to the bus?? He is convinced that hospital clerical staff should be instructed to provide detailed public transport information for all patients attending clinics.
The audience was given the opportunity to ask questions on a wide range of issues.
The knowledge, that the expanded SGH will employ 10,000 staff (not the 5000 that we understood would be necessary) to service the 2000 in-patient beds, raised most concern. We remain unconvinced that the road system will be able to support the volume of additional traffic especially with the cross-flow of patients and visitors between the SGH and the Victoria ACAD.
Alistair was thanked for giving of his time and expertise to the Forum.
Apologies
Aileen Fyfe, Alastair Glen, Mary McClelland, Catherine Milne, Alister Mitchell, Ruth Elworthy and Mary Hamilton, Rhoda Ritchie
Minutes
Minutes of the 8 May were adopted as correct. There were no matters arising.
Correspondence
OUT: Letter to Nicola Sturgeon, Health Minister, re SNP policy on centralisation and asking for a review of the GG&C NHS Board Acute Strategy.
IN: Letter from Helen Byrne, Director of Acute Strategies, Implementation & Planning GG&C NHS Board, in response to our comments on saving the Inverclyde Hospital services including A&E yet closing down A&E at the Victoria and moving all in-patient beds to the Southern General Hospital. She points out that ‘a different set of circumstances, challenges and opportunities pertain to both facilities’. (What are they? A response which is neither instructive, reassuring or informative.)
Report on the South Monitoring Group meeting of the 8 June
There was no representative of the SNP at the meeting. The following day Margaret e-mailed Stewart Maxwell who assured her that an SNP MSP will be present at the September meeting. The North Monitoring Group is pushing for a joint meeting. This was rejected by members of the South Monitoring Group, with the exception of James & Margaret on the grounds that Glasgow has only one health board therefore hospitals are no longer individual trusts.
It was stated that 45-65% of accident & emergency cases can be dealt with in the Minor Injuries Unit. Margaret asked about bed number at the SGH and was advised that the outline business will be presented to the Scottish Executive in July. When Margaret asked that the Monitoring Group receive a quarterly report on the development of the Scottish NHS IT system from the recently appointed IT Director, Richard Copeland, the request was denied. A copy of the Transport Group minutes will be sent on to Margaret.
Treasurer’s Report
Dan MacPhail reported that dues for the current year are coming in steadily and looks forward to receiving further payments as soon as possible.
Late Off the Press;
On reasonably good authority, consideration is being given to extending the life of the Mansionhouse Unit by a further 10 years. We would consider this essential. Care in the Community and the supposed additional beds for the elderly to be made available at the Southern General Hospital will fall far short of the requirements of the ever increasing numbers of elderly and vulnerable patients.
A HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY TO EVERYONE.
NEXT MEETING 11 SEPTEMBER 2007 at 7.30 p.m.