NHS Lothian has spent £27,431,650 on bank and agency nurses in 2017/18 – an increase of £8,717,713 from 2012/13 spending levels, £18,713,937 according to latest figures. Continue reading Briggs lambasts NHS governance as agency nursing costs spiral
Tag: health
Scots poorer health is a result of an unjust society, says new report
-
Over two-thirds of Scots think people’s health is worse because they are poor
-
Over half would accept tax hikes to improve the population’s health
Half of Scots believe that poorer health is a result of an unjust society, according to findings published today by the Scottish Centre for Social Research. Continue reading Scots poorer health is a result of an unjust society, says new report
Briggs blasts SNP’s “shambolic stewardship of the NHS”
Briggs: SNP are failing their own patient treatment guarantee in Lothian Continue reading Briggs blasts SNP’s “shambolic stewardship of the NHS”
Briggs: NHS Lothian accounts for almost a quarter of Delayed Discharge in Scotland
NHS Lothian accounts for almost a quarter of Delayed Discharge in Scotland
Delayed discharge costs our NHS over £100 million per year, with NHS Lothian accounting for £28 million of the total. That means less money to spend on treating patients who require medical attention, while patients awaiting discharge are being kept in hospital for longer than they need to be, says Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs. Continue reading Briggs: NHS Lothian accounts for almost a quarter of Delayed Discharge in Scotland
Scottish Conservatives put Shona Robison and SNP ‘on notice’
The Scottish Conservatives will today lead a debate saying that they are putting Shona Robison and the SNP Government on notice over their handling of the financial crisis facing Scotland’s health boards. Continue reading Scottish Conservatives put Shona Robison and SNP ‘on notice’
Local Cleft Palate Clinics closed despite SNP government promises
When Health Secretary Shona Robison announced in 2016 the closure of the East of Scotland cleft surgery unit in Edinburgh – which Lothian MSP Miles Briggs and parents campaigned hard against – she reassured people that “local outreach clinics, will continue to be delivered locally as they are now, across Scotland.” https://news.gov.scot/news/cleft-surgery-recommendation
A Written Answer (see below) shows that in two areas local clinics stopped altogether in 2017 with no indication of when they might start again. This means extra travelling and inconvenience for families, as well as having limited dates when they can be seen.
There has been a reduction in the number of Multi-Disciplinary Clinics (MDC) in Edinburgh, with only fortnightly appointments available.
The service is also still short of the third surgeon that it needs.
Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP said: “It is very apparent that the SNP Ministers decision to centralise the Cleft Palate Service has been a disaster.
“The families of babies and young people who require the service are the ones losing with an inferior service being provided.
“I am particularly concerned that parents are being forced to travel so far for appointments, often having to make longer journeys than the recommended limit for new born babies.”
Evonne McLatchie, lead campaigner to save the Edinburgh cleft unit, comments: “Parents in the East are angry but not the least surprised as the promises Ms Robison made were as predicted not worth the paper they were printed on.
“Many families in the East don’t even have correct contact details and it is parents that are driving patient reviews and consultations for their children having to resort to asking questions on Facebook to get answers for their concerns and then chasing up appointments.
“Shona Robison stated repeatedly that centralisation would improve care, especially if a surgeon was off- that has yet to be proven!
“The majority of parents are afraid to voice concerns as they have to work with the service for perhaps the next 20 years and despite assurances that any complaint won’t affect care they simply don’t want to risk it.”
Crisis: single GP surgeries ‘under threat,’ says Briggs
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has been contacted by constituents who are expressing serious concerns about the future of the single GP practice at Sighthill Health centre. Continue reading Crisis: single GP surgeries ‘under threat,’ says Briggs
Briggs urges progress on cross-boundary health planning
Briggs Calls for More Progress on Development of New Edinburgh and South East of Scotland Centre
Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs spoke in the Procurement debate at Holyrood yesterday. The Lothian MSP spoke on improving and promoting regional procurement, using the example of when a number of health boards or local authorities pool resources to construct Regional Centres or projects that go across council boundaries. Continue reading Briggs urges progress on cross-boundary health planning
NHS Lothian A&E waiting times worst in Scotland over February
Latest figures have revealed that NHS Lothian is the worst performing Health Board in Scotland for A & E waiting times. Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP says it’s another example of SNP Ministers failing people in Lothian. Continue reading NHS Lothian A&E waiting times worst in Scotland over February
Pennywell All Care Centre: what’s in that shiny new building?
Pennywell All Care Centre (formerly North West Partnership Centre) opened to the public on 18th December and will be officially opened later this month. The new Centre will provide a range of health and social care services, including new GP accommodation (Muirhouse Medical Group has opened a new branch surgery to complement their Muirhouse Avenue practice), podiatry and child health services. Continue reading Pennywell All Care Centre: what’s in that shiny new building?