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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 on Tues 13 March 2007
Contents
Joint meeting of the North & South Monitoring Group 9 March :
Welcome
Margaret Hinds welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Apologies
Aileen Fyfe, Pat Lally, Alastair Glen, Dorothy Walls, Douglas McGregor and Mary Hamilton
Minutes
Were amended to read ‘On the 19 Feb at the Victoria’ in lieu of the 10 Feb. Ruth Elworthy proposed the adoption of the minute seconded by Janette Butler.
Matters arising:
Already responses have been received from the majority of the political parties naming their representatives for the public meetings of the 5 and 12 April.
The GG & C Health Board has announced the postponement of the introduction of parking charges. The matter is now under review. Research has shown that in the Grampian Region the Health Board has devised a method at Foresterhill restricting access to the hospital site to out-patients with valid appointment cards, disabled badge holders, emergency vehicles, inpatient drop off/ collections and priority staff permit holders only.
The main car parks and main hospital site charges are £1 for up to 5 hours over 5 hours there is a charge of £5. If Grampian can do it why not the GG&C Health Board?
Correspondence OUT
a)
To Sir John Arbuthnott re the new children’s hospital at the SGH asking about the financing of the new building. We understand that the £100m pledged by the Scottish Executive is now considered insufficient for the scale of accommodation required and that PFI funding is being sought.
b)
To Patricia Ruddy of the Scottish Executive Health Department re the development of an IT system and in particular the confidentiality of electronic health records.
Treasurer’s report:
Dan Macphail reported a balance of £2278.00
Joint meeting of the North & South Monitoring Group 9 March :
Helen Byrne, the new Director of Acute Services Strategy Implementation and Planning, gave a presentation to update the Groups. Important points were revealed e.g. the building of the new Children’s Hospital will start in 2009 for completion in December 2011. Margaret asked where the base line on bed numbers would be made as we were aware of the worrying shortages facing the city with the frequent occurrences of no beds available in any hospital in the city. Reply - this information is under review.
Due to the imposition of a two hour guillotine, Enid Penny of the Friends of the Victoria, had to insist on raising the important issue of the shameful state of the fabric of the Victoria - a building that will have to remain open for at least another six years! A member of the North had questions he wished to raise but was told they could be raised at the next meting of the North Monitoring group, no further time was available. It was unfortunate that this time limit had to be enforced as there were a number of important issues to be pursued. We want to know why the South ACAD, unlike the North, does not have a pain relief facility.
The monitoring groups have been in existence for the five years as stipulated by the Scottish Executive but the need to monitor is, in our view, becoming even more important. For example a) the continuing slippage of completion dates.
b) the loss of the Victoria A&E, the busiest A&E in Glasgow and the second busiest in Scotland. c) the impact of the population of Argyll and Clyde on Glasgow’s hospitals.
It is essential that the groups continue to monitor progress. We are of the opinion that one joint group would best serve the needs of the people. If we have only one Health Board it is surely sensible to have only one monitoring group. Trusts have been abolished as were Health Councils, why does there have to be two Monitoring Groups? Apparently the two chairmen have been asked to continue until the ACAD is opened. We will request clarification.
When the new ACAD opens with only 12 beds for overnight patients, the SGH will not have sufficient capacity for all those currently in wards at the Victoria. The new ACAD is scheduled to open mid 2009 but the rebuilt Southern General will not be completed until at least 2013.
We must raise concern at the planned closure of Queen Mother’s and the relocation of the Children’s hospital which has also slipped by two years.
James Sandeman expressed concern that there have not been any official reports submitted by the South Monitoring Group to the Health Minister during the last five years other than the minutes.
PUBLIC MEETINGS:
April 5 Couper Institute, Clarkston Road, at 7.30 p.m.
April 12 Fairweather Hall, Newton Mearns, at 7.30 p.m.
Could you check in your area whether there are any advertising posters on display? If not, use the attached poster in at least one of your local shops.
Date of next meeting 10 April 2007 at 7.30 p.m.
The AGM has been postponed until 8 May 2007