01.08.18
Scottish government rejects concerns of plans to merge NHS boards
NHS boards in the north of Scotland will not merge as the government claims it has “absolutely no plans” to bring services together.
Concerns over whether the boards would merge rose after NHS Tayside said they would be continuing to “work closely” with five other health boards in Scotland.
The collaboration of the six NHS boards — Tayside, Grampian, Highland, Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles, as part of the North of Scotland Planning Group (NoSPG) — comes at a time where NHS Grampian and interim NHS Tayside’s chief executive Malcolm Wright announced his intention to retire from both of the posts at the end of the year.
An NHS Tayside spokesperson said: “The six health boards in the north of Scotland have a long history of working together to improve health services for the population and they are continuing to work closely to address issues such as the remote and rural geography of many parts of the region, workforce pressures and a growing and aging population.”
NHS Highland CEO Elaine Mead’s decision to leave the organisation at the end of 2018 has raised further potential issues of the future of Scottish board management in the region.
Dundee Labour councillor Michael Marra told The Courier that a “super board” merger would not be in the interests of the people of Dundee.
Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, said: “It’s clear that the direction of travel in NHS Scotland is to bring health board functions together, however there are real questions over how far the SNP Government see this process going.
“Local accountability is a key part of our health service, with councillors currently represented on NHS Boards to give an elected voice to their communities. Any proposals that could undermine or water-down that important link would clearly be unacceptable.
“As yet, there has been no real or in-depth consultation with the people and organisations who rely on our local NHS provision in Moray about further integration of health board structures. I am clear that any further plans for change should be discussed with local people at the earliest possible opportunity and should take full account of their needs and views.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We are confident of the leadership in place across health boards.
“Where vacancies are going to occur, boards are already planning their recruitment processes and keeping us updated on the progress. There are absolutely no plans to merge health boards.”
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Image credit: Yui Mok, PA Images