Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
One thousand names call for new hospital on existing site
MP submits petition to Commons
Hugh Gaffney has presented a 1000-signature petition to the House of Commons calling for Monklands Hospital to be rebuilt on its existing site.
The MP submitted the document “on behalf of residents of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill”, asking the Westminster government to “make representations on their behalf ” to Holyrood to have the Monkscourt Avenue site reinstated to the new options appraisal.
He says the existing location is better served by public transport and queried the way in which it has been ruled out from further consideration, and adds that questions remain over the two leading locations.
The Advertiser told in July how Mr Gaffney had begun collecting support for his petition, entitled “don’t limit our options”, after health secretary Jeane Freeman ruled out the current site while ordering a reappraisal of potential locations at Gartcosh, Glenmavis and elsewhere for the planned new £400 million hospital.
Presenting his petition in the Commons last week, Mr Gaffney said it outlined that the “unilateral executive decision to remove the current site as an option will detrimentally impact healthcare provision across Lanarkshire [and] is in defiance of the recommendation of the independent review for greater public consultation on the location.
“The current site offers significant advantages for a new hospital such as its existing public transport infrastructure [ and] concerns have failed to be addressed regarding the two alternative location options, particularly whether the offer of land in Glenmavis can be withdrawn at the whim of the owner.”
He concluded: “The Scottish Government should rebuild the planned new University Hospital Monklands on the site of the current hospital as it is the most suitable option for the greatest number of people in the Monklands community and is essential to those it serves.”
The petition will now be sent to government officials, who are due to reply within the next month.
Said Mr Gaffney: “It was a privilege to present this petition to parliament on behalf of my constituents who are determined to save Monklands Hospital.
“Jeane Freeman and the Scottish Government are attempting to ride roughshod over the will of local people who want Monklands Hospital to remain on its current site at the heart of our community.
“I will continue to do all I can to ensure that a new hospital is built on the current site and that local healthcare provision for my constituents is not sacrificed at the expense of the internal politics of the SNP.”
NHS Lanarkshire announced in June 2018 that the former steelworks site in Gartcosh had emerged as the highestrated site for the new hospital, ahead of an alternative site at Glenmavis.
The controversial choice attracted criticism from residents and politicians during last year’s public consultation process, leading the health secretary to establish an independent review into the process surrounding the site selection.
Its report this summer called for NHS Lanarkshire to re-evaluate the top two scoring options and provide “detail on the non-financial benefit criteria and associated costs [and] greater clarity on accessibility, including infrastructure and public transport” – adding: “This further evaluation should explicitly and transparently take account of the views of the public.”
Ms Freeman said at that time: “I have asked that re-providing on the existing site be excluded. There is little point in including an option which will score poorly in the appraisal.
“Building a new hospital on an existing site takes longer, costs more and risks infection and other patient safety concerns. It will also create performance and access issues directly affecting patients during the long construction phase.”
Commenting previously about Mr Gaffney’s petition, neighbouring MP for Airdrie & Shotts, Neil Gray, said: “I can understand why people who haven’t had all the information presented might see it as possible to rebuild on the current site; but elected representatives have had all these details and know it would be unworkable and dangerous.
“The hospital would either have to be closed and knocked down before rebuilding, leaving people without a health service; or there would have to be partial shutdowns which would be near-impossible and there would be so much waste and dirt.”
I will continue to do all I can to ensure that a new hospital is built on the current site