Linda Fabiani

I’ve been hearing a lot of good reports about Hairmyres Hospital recently.

People feeling confident in the excellent treatment they receive, whether as an in-patient or out-patient.

Accident & Emergency, too, has been performing well, and staff have coped admirably with an increase in numbers of people presenting for treatment.

There are some issues though – of course there are – and I raised constituents’ concerns when I visited the Hairmyres Management Team on Monday morning.

The openness with which the team answered my questions was much appreciated, and I do believe the once secretive and defensive culture of the NHS has been challenged over the last few years.

In East Kilbride, we are seeing a much more sensible way forward, and whilst there have been public criticisms that the recent NHS Lanarkshire consultation ‘Achieving Excellence’ was not well enough advertised, I understand that the response rate has in fact been good, and submissions are now being scrutinised.

The main health complaints in my caseload recently have been related to treatment delays in some out-patient disciplines, and management of ongoing medical conditions. I got some general updates this week. The Gastro-enterology department, for example, has been subject to delays in appointments, but vacant posts are now filled and staff are working their way through the backlog.

Opthamology delays are, despite the best efforts of Hairmyres Hospital and NHS Lanarkshire, ongoing.

This is a national problem with consultant vacancies in this specialism, right across the country.

Hairmyres has a new consultant starting in January and this, along with the good practice in nurse-led treatment and an expansion in the out-patient department, should help move things along.

As we all know, the good news about advances in medicine is that we generally live longer.

This results in our ageing population; some of us with chronic conditions that, whilst they cannot be cured, can be well managed for years and years.

One example is in opthamology – macular degeneration can now be kept at bay.

More and more people are benefiting from this treatment; it’s not a one-off operation though, like cataract removal.

Staving off macular degeneration requires regular injections, generally bi-monthly. This is a busy out-patient clinic. But isn’t it marvellous that precious eyesight can be maintained?

The way for us all to cope with a changing society is to work together, husbanding resources, human and financial, and making sure that the care we give is that best suited to the patient.

That’s why the Scottish Government has integrated health and social care, recognising that most people want to remain in their own homes.

If treatment and care can be delivered at home, then it should be.

Here in East Kilbride, the health service and the local authority are working together to achieve this and whilst there is still a way to go, examples like the Integrated Care Team and the Hospital at Home service are proving their worth.

I have visited the ambulance station in East Kilbride, too.

Again, the Scottish Ambulance Service is adapting to changing situations.

After much analysis of previous ways of working, they are determined to improve patient care and to save more lives.

A new ambulance response system is being piloted – and an additional 1000 paramedics will be employed by 2020.

The Scottish Ambulance Service will work more collaboratively with the rest of the health service to benefit patients.

I learned at Hairmyres that a liaison officer from the service is now based in the hospital, working to make discharges more efficient and better suited to individual patients. Excellent good sense! No matter how good a service, there will unfortunately be individual issues, where things haven’t worked out as well as they should.

As always, I will do my very best to assist any resident who feels they need a bit of help with any of the partners who are looking after our health.

Meanwhile, though, I recognise the excellent work carried out daily in our hospitals and in our homes by dedicated professionals, working together to give us a health service, fit for the future, and fit for our needs.