Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Union calls for medical tests at schools
Officials from the EIS teaching union are calling for medical screening for staff and pupils at St Ambrose and Buchanan high schools.
The union says the tests are “required to start rebuilding trust” and has called upon the newly-established site recovery group for the Coatbridge campus to make them available on request.
It comes after health concerns about the Townhead Road site – including five teachers suffering from cancer and sight loss in a pupil with elevated arsenic levels – led to an independent review, which was published last month and concluded that the site is safe.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “It’s essential that North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire work to rebuild trust with the school community, including the pupils and staff.
“We call upon the site recovery group, established following the independent review, to move forward and facilitate medical screening for all who wish it in these two schools.
“Medical screening can be undertaken fairly cheaply and could provide long-overdue reassurance to pupils and staff, as well as identifying any possible issues which may require further medical investigation.”
The union added that it has “repeatedly said that medical screening is required in order to start rebuilding trust between the school community and the local authority, and to examine all remaining health concerns associated with the site”.
EIS officials also highlighted questions asked about a report by Stirling University professor Andrew Watterson analysing the conclusions of the independent review group.
He queried its methodology and said “not all the key questions about the site have been fully answered”.
Mr Flanagan added: “The EIS has noted the concerns expressed in the analysis published by Professor Watterson over the methodology adopted by the independent review group.
“It’s therefore even more important that these screening tests should be undertaken to allay fears.
“The more obfuscation and delay from the authorities in North Lanarkshire, the more suspicious and anxious the community becomes.”
Gabe Docherty, who is NHS Lanarkshire’s director of public health, told the Advertiser: “The independent report provided a clear reassurance that the schools are safe to attend. That continues to be the case.
“The independent report did not recommend screening of all staff and pupils; the review team agreed with the advice given by NHS Lanarkshire to GPs to continue to treat and investigate patients from the schools as they would for any other patient based on their symptoms and signs.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We welcome the results of the independent review, which reinforces the conclusions by experts that the campus is safe and there is no link to reported illness.
“We are now focusing on implementing the recommendations of the review – one of which is the establishment of the site recovery group comprising staff, parents and pupils, and will be the forum for any issues to be raised and discussed.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said:“The independent review considered a wide range of evidence, including environmental and clinical data, and commissioned new soil, water and air tests.
“The report provides reassurance that there are no links between ill health and the campus.
“The recommendations will ensure bodies engage far more proactively with parents, staff and pupils to rebuild the trust and learn lessons for the future. A key recommendation is the site recovery group, which will meet this week to start its work.”