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Minutes of a regular meeting of the Health Service Forum on Tuesday October 14th 2003 held in the Larkfield Centre at 7.30 p.m.
Contents
Glasgow South Monitoring Group
GGNHS Meeting re Maternity provision in Greater Glasgow
Apologies
Apologies were received from Alastair Glen, Caryl Ogilvie, Fiona Brodie and Dorothy Walls.
The Chair welcomed everyone. The minutes of the 9th September were corrected to read on page 3 ‘Glasgow Royal Infirmary will charge for parking from September 2004’. The amended minute was adopted as a true record.
Correspondence
1. Letter to Malcolm Chisholm following the article in the Sunday Times re the problems at the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The Forum asked the Minister to reconsider the use of PFI in the building of the ACADs. Problems have again occurred with electricity supply.
2. letter to Dr Colin Hunter, National Co-ordinator for Primary Care NHS Scotland (NES) as a follow up to the letter in the Herald re lack of funding for trainee GPs for the intake in February 2004. Dr Hunter replied ; ‘The Minister has recently announced that the number of GPs in training will be maintained at 280.’ We have informed the Killearn Doctor’s Centre and in a telephone conversation with Margaret they advised that they are contacting their MSPs to raise the matter in parliament. The Forum will also contact MSPs. James Dornan research assistant to Stewart Maxwell MSP attended the meeting and said he would speak to Stewart about this issue.
3.
Letter to Robert Calderwood asking for a copy of the advert placed in the European Journal for bidders for the ACAD project in Glasgow. This has been received. We will investigate.
4.
letter to Robert Calderwood re the closure of the shop at the Southern General. (A reply has now been received)
5.
letter from Tommy Sheridan with a copy of the response from Malcolm Chisholm to his query about the validity of a single bidder to build the ACADs. The Minister stated that ‘the proposed procurement route is legally and technically valid.’
Chairman’s report
The number of patient episodes at the Victoria and Stobhill ACADs has risen from 340,000 to 400,000. Not surprisingly Glasgow City Council planners wish the development to be on a larger area of the QPR site. Negotiations are ongoing. Stobhill is facing exactly the same number of episodes.
At the September Trust Board meeting it was stated that specialities may be moved from the Vic to the SGH earlier than anticipated. The public must be consulted and informed. It is also the remit of the South Monitoring Group members that they are consulted on any change to acute services at the Vic.
The increase in patient episodes will have transport implications. Do the people of the South West appreciate the difficulties they will face in getting to the ACAD by public transport and parking if travelling by car?
Stobhill, we understand, has no "winter money" available. This means, for example, that if the need arises, agency nurses cannot be hired. Is this also the case for the Vic? We will write to the Chief Executive.
A Trust Board member stated that South Birmingham would have a stand alone ACAD completed by 2005. Our research to date is that Birmingham has four acute hospitals, three have ACADs on site. Their Health Board visited the USA, as GGHB did, but rejected stand alone ACADs for the following reasons, 1. THEY ARE UNSAFE. 2. REPLICATION OF FACILITIES. Birmingham is similar in population to Greater Glasgow yet our Health Board has decided that only two acute hospitals are necessary! Glasgow has pole position for ill health in the U.K. and has held this position for longer than most people can remember.
Financial Report
The bank balance is currently £1,973.43. It was decided to donate £40 to the Larkfield Centre Children’s Christmas party and £20 to the caretaker.
Louise Laing will ask the City Council about the progress on the grant application.
Glasgow South Monitoring Group
James Sandeman of Mearns C.C. was congratulated on being elected as one of the Community Council members on the Group. The other representative is Catherine Fleming of Rutherglen. The two reps are meeting shortly to discuss how to report back to the 39 Community Councils which they represent. It is to be hoped that the Scottish Executive will provide them with facilities to do so. It is unfortunate that there is no community representative for Glasgow South West
GGNHS Meeting re Maternity provision in Greater Glasgow
Meeting held in the Maryhill Community Hall and was poorly attended. The meeting had been well publicised. The Board did not address the additional transport problems which will arise in moving maternity services to the site of what will be the largest hospital in the UK and the attendant transport difficulties both for expectant mothers and sick babies.
Transport Group
Douglas McGregor gave a verbal report of his first Transport meeting. Neil McGrogan, head of community engagement for the hospital modernisation programme, has the remit to ensure that people can get to the hospitals in Glasgow. He is going out to groups (60 groups as at 23rd Oct) to listen to their views. Subsidy of bus routes may be necessary which will be a drain on GGNHS resources. Professor McGregor has invited Tony Hughes of Glasgow City Council Land Services to speak to the Forum in November. Neil Sturrock was appointed by the Scottish Executive to look into the method used by Faber Maunsell in their latest transport survey which cost £60,000. He was very critical of the fact that the base line used was the year 2007. The study is confused and wrongly states that 80% of people will get to the Southern General quicker when in fact no one will get there quicker.
Other Competent Business.
Consultation Paper on implementing "PARTNERSHIP FOR CARE" Scotland's White Paper. Comments by Friday 28th November 2003 to John Hamilton, Head of Board Administration, Dalian House, P.O. Box15329, 350 St. Vincent St., Glasgow, G3 8YZ.
Dr Jean Turner MSP has raised written questions in parliament about Stobhill.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING - Tuesday 11th November at 7.30 p.m.
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NB For those attending the Christmas Dinner, please remember that payment must be made in full by the December meeting at the very latest. Cheques should be made payable to the Health Service Forum SE and sent to the Treasurer.
Web site www.healthforumglasgow.org