Untitled Document

Health Service Forum South East

Minutes of regular meeting of Health Service Forum S.E. held in the Larkfield Centre

on Tuesday 14 September 2004 at 7.30 p.m.

Welcome

Report on South Monitoring Groups

Treasurer’s Report

Notes on public meeting of Saturday 2 October

LATE NEWS:

AOCB

Apologies

Apologies; Irene Addie, Rhoda Ritchie, Fiona Brodie, Alastair Glen

Minutes

Minutes of 8 June were adopted as correct.

Matters arising; Draft Car Parking Policy- The idea is that patients should pay a small fee and staff should pay the full economic price. Transport- As a result of several weeks planning the group headed by Niall McGrogan have produced a proposal to converge the routes of the no 34 (Castlemilk to SGH) and the no. 7 Cambuslang to Glasgow X) at the Victoria Infirmary. Mr McGrogan will assign an assistant to address transport for each of the acute NHS sites for Greater Glasgow.

Correspondence

Correspondence; IN a)All the Lib-Lab MSPs acknowledged receipt of the invitation to meet with them and a mutually suitable time has yet to be arranged.

b) Two members of the Forum are now allowed to attend the A&E review meeting on the 15 October instead of the lone representative originally invited.

c) Mike Watson MSP for Cathcart has asked the Health Minister for a response to our letter re provision of resources to allow the terminally ill to die in their own homes.

d) Tommy Sheridan and Janis Hughes have asked the Health Minister about the GGNHS Board’s Business Plan for the ACADs.

e) A notification and invitation to attend the AGM on 23 September 2004 was received from the GGNHS Board.

f) Letter from the Glasgow Association of Mental Health looking for a representative to attend their meetings. The next meeting is on the 16 September in the St Andrews in the Square Church. Mary Hamilton is willing to scrutinise the minutes of their meetings.

Report on South Monitoring Groups

Report on South Monitoring Groups; Margaret Hinds and James Sanderson continue to press for answers on such issues as bed numbers on the SGH site. The detailed plans for the ACADs are not in the public domain.

James circulated a paper to the Community Councils between June and September setting out the reasons for change in services and suggesting that they support a moratorium on NHS projects, demand accountability, attend public meetings and write to the GGNHS Health Board and Chief executive.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer’s Report; The balance in the bank is £1529.45 It was agreed to pay a membership fee of £50 to the Scottish Health Campaigns Network. The Network is the umbrella group co-ordinating at least 12 campaigning groups across Scotland.

The Forum intends to go round the South East communities holding public meetings.

Notes on public meeting of Saturday 2 October

Notes on public meeting of Saturday 2 October;

The media and in particular the Herald newspaper has been running a Health Debate. It was decided at very short notice to organise a demonstration against the centralisation of hospital services across Scotland. This took place on Saturday 2 October 2004 at 12 noon in George Square. Under the chairmanship of Margaret Hinds the speakers were in order of speaking; Pat Lally (President of the Health Forum), Dr George Venters ,Chairman of the Scottish Health Campaigns Network and retired public health consultant, Nicola Sturgeon MSP deputy leader of the SNP, David McLetchie MSP leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, Tommy Sheridan MSP leader of SSP, Patrick Harvie MSP of the Greens, John Swinburne MSP leader of the Scottish Senior Citizens’ Unity Party, Dr Jean Turner MSP Independent. Representatives from the Health Service Forum Inverclyde, the Homeopathic Hospital, Stobhill, Livingston, Vale of Leven, Caithness and Perth were among those who gathered in the Square.

The 7:84 Theatre Company has produced a presentation entitled Private Agenda/Public Space and are staging it in various venues around Scotland ending in Edinburgh Traverse Theatre from 19 - 23 October. The production is described as follows; Private Agenda takes a forensic journey through the surreal maddening and hilarious corridors and wards of privately financed hospitals and schools. This is a world where lucrative construction deals replace common sense and management targets take priority over maternity wards. Each performance is followed by an open discussion on the issues addressed. An excellent production and well worth seeing.

The demonstration was made possible due to the huge amount of work carried out a number of people and the generosity of many . We mention especially Stagecoach who supplied an open-topped bus at their expense. Adtrailers who designed and paid for the posters and their trailer which toured Glasgow on Friday advertising the event and sat on George Square during the demo.

LATE NEWS:

A public meeting has been organised for residents of Eastwood by Jim Murphy MP and Ken Macintosh MSP and will take place on Thursday 7 October at 7.30 p.m. in the Clarkston Hall. The speakers will include GGNHS Board members Tom Divers , Robert Calderwood, Dr Brian Cowan, Tim Parke A& E Consultant SGH, and Graeme Gillies Anaesthetist

AOCB

AOCB; The Forum’s Christmas Dinner has been arranged at the White Cart

in Busby for Saturday 18^th December, 7.00 for 7.30p.m. until ll.00 p.m.

Numbers are limited so please ensure your place by sending your cheque to the Treasurer now.

Cost is £18.99 per person which does not include drinks or service charge.

The date of the next meeting is Tuesday 12 October 2004 at 7.30 p.m.

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