Faces list of demands
Big challenges for Freeman
Scotland’s new health secretary has been urged to get her local service off the sick list as she enters office.
Jeane Freeman, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, is being challenged to tackle struggles in NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Ms Freeman enters the job hot on the heels of Ayrshire’s health chiefs receiving a £ 26million bailout from Holyrood. Ayr MSP John Scott reckons the new health boss has no shortage of issues to clean up. He said: “Like everyone else locally, I want to see waiting times reduced so that patients get the best possible treatment as quickly as possible, and I believe this should be a key priority for the new cabinet secretary for health. “I want to see A& E waiting times reduced at Ayr and Crosshouse hospitals and the provision of chemotherapy services remain at Ayr. “Orthopaedic waiting times should be reduced and bed numbers must be maintained across Ayrshire, to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed at peak times of use and indeed over the winter periods. “Better recruitment of doctors and nurses will be key to this and the Cabinet Secretary will have the opportunity to deliver better workforce planning in Ayrshire and Scotland.” Ms Freeman’s successor, Shona Robinson, was forced to order a review into “avoidable” maternity deaths in Ayrshire during her time in charge. And First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, during her stint as health secretary, probed the suppression of Critical Incident Reports in the region. Now Ms Freeman is pledging to keep a firm grip on matters locally and nationally. She said: “I’m looking forward to working with all NHS Boards, including NHS Ayrshire and Arran, on what is important to local people. “We are investing record amounts of money into the health service across Scotland, and staff numbers have risen to an all- time high, while we have some of the best performance indicators of any health service in the UK. “These are all areas that I will be looking to build upon.”
I want to see A& E waiting times reduced