The Sunday Herald published yesterday (9th January 2011) the results Continue reading
Tag Archives: NHS Scotland
Alcohol related hospital discharges for Argyll 16% up in 5 years
According to statistics just released by NHS Scotland, Continue reading
Argyll to benefit from prioritising of better dental facilities
NHS Scotland plans to spend £82million from the Scottish Government’s allocation in dental services across Scotland. This has been made the top priority.creating and upgrading
In Argyll & Bute the NHS Highland Board is proposing to provide an NHS Dental Centre in Oban and surgery facilities in Campbeltown.
Argyll’s MSP, Jim Mather, comments that: ‘Scotland has historic problems with good dental health, partly due to water supply and to diet. Improvement and awareness of good practice and regular maintenance is important for sound dental and hygiene reasons. Moreover, it is recognised that regular dental attendance and treatment also helps to improve general medical heath and identify other heath problems early on’.
Mr Mather says that NHS Highland’s specific allocation is £5.64million which, in addition to the new facilitites for Oban and Campbeltown, it it will use to improve NHS dental surgery facilities in Thurso, Dingwall and Inverness.
The planned development of dental surgery facilities in Campbeltown will be associated with a practice already in place there.
In welcoming the plans for Argyll, Mr Mather went on to say: ‘In our present tough financial climate, capital projects are a vital way that government can help to stimulate the local economy by providing good, soundly based, local employment opportunities. It also provides a helping hand for the construction industry.
‘When this can be combined with the provision of badly needed health facilities where a clear shortfall has been identified this represents not only sound financial sense but links to reversing a serious decline in dental services seen under previous administrations.
‘Since the advent of the current Scottish Government in 2007, NHS Dentistry has been a top priority. These projects are evidence of progress.
‘There has already been a dramatic increase in both adult and child registration with NHS dentists and the opening of a third Scottish Dental Training School in Aberdeen last October will ensure that increased numbers of trainee dentists enter the NHS’.
NHS Scotland to close all GP surgeries for two four-day periods over Christmas and Hogmanay
GPs all across Scotland will be closed from 6.00pm on Christmas Eve, re-opening from 29th December to 31st December, then closing for a second four day period from 1st January 2009.
Tim Davidson, head of winter planning for Scotland’s health boards says that they considered approaching GPs about providing some kind of service over the Christmas and Hogmanay break but rejected it. Why? Well, they felt people would find it ‘confusing’ if some GPs were open and others were not.
Why would it be confusing when the only GP that matters is your own and that one is either open or shut. So what’s confusing? It’s more likely to be anger-making to know of another GP surgery, not one’s own, which is open. Perhaps avoiding public anger was the real driver of the decision.
Anyway, the authorities are confident that NHS 24, the telephone helpline, will be able to fill the gap. The public might have a different view.
There is sparring between the two parties concerned in the decision. The British Medical Council says there are plenty of GPs willing to work the Christmas period but that NHS 24 and NHS Scotland are trying to save money. A spokesman says: ‘Our position is that they should be employing more doctors’. NHS Scotland is concerned only with saving the public ‘confusion’.
What is unedifying in this is that neither of these bodies has any real care for those they exist to serve. Each is pushing its own vested interest and using the public as no more than a card in their game strategy.
However -over these periods when the GP surgeries are closed, the key thing is that when someone feels unwell they should seek help at once, rather than wait for their familiar GP surgery to open again. Delay can lead to an avoidable need for hospitalisation. And if NHS 24 is slow and unhelpful, go to the nearest A&E without hesitation or apology.
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Resignation of NHS Scotland procurement manager responsible for BT contract under EC investigation
Following For Argyll’s earlier report that the EC was investigating NHS Scotland’s contract with BT for hospital network services, there has been a major development in the case. Michael Healy, Director of National Procurement for NHS division, National Services Scotland (NSS) since 2006 has resigned his post. This comes within two weeks of NHS officials having to make a formal response, explaining their actions to independent auditors installed by the EC. Mr Healy’s line manager, Ian Crichton, has accepted his resignation.
The EC investigation was concerned with allegations of an unfair tendering process in the award of a £30m nationwide hospital network contract to BT which had previously been operated by Cable & Wireless.
NHS Scotland had earlier awarded another multi-million pound contract to BT to provide a national broadband network for the health service. Also, in 2001, BT was awarded a £20.5m contract for the telecoms and IT infrastructure to enable Scots to access NHS 24.
National procurement was begun in 2005 under then Health Minister Andy Kerr, targeted on achieving annual savings within NHS Scotland of £50m by 2008. The savings were intended to free up funds for investing in patient care.
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NHS Highland gets closer to waiting time targets for cancer cases
NHS Highland, the health authority responsible for Argyll and Bute, has reported that, between April and June 2008, over 95% of patients referred as urgent by their GP were treated within the target of 62 days. 85% of breast cancer patients were treated within 31 days of diagnosis. The Scottish Government target for breast cancer patients is 100% within 31 days.
Christine McIntosh, cancer network manager says: ‘Clinical and support staff are putting in a lot of effort to ensure as few delays as possible for patients who have been referred to breast services and who are often very anxious. It’s rewarding to see this effort making a difference for patients’.
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EC investigates NHS Scotland BT phone network contract
NHS National Services Scotland, the procurement agency for NHS Scotland, awarded a three year contract to BT for the supplying a new telephone network system for the service. This includes all lines, exchanges, contact centres, calls and maintenance for all the Scottish Health Boards.
The service had previously been supplied by Cable and Wireless, a rival company to BT.
The European Commission has received a complaint over the award of the £30 million contract. The Scottish Government has confirmed that an EC investigation will take place and has, at the same time, reassured the public that this will not mean any disruption to any part of NHS Scotland’s telephone system.
For legal reasons no information can be given on the identity of the complainant, the nature of the complaint or the type of possible outcomes of the investigation.
BT had already been awarded a multi-million contract to provide a broadband service to NHS Scotland, including hospitals, clinics, GP surgeries and pharmacies.
In 2001 it was awarded a £20 million ten-year contract to link Scotland to the NHS 24 phone advice service.