‘Buddies feel betrayed over kids’ ward axe’
MSP claims new survey reveals anger over RAH move
A survey has revealed that 98 per cent of people in Paisley disagree with the decision to close the town’s sick kids’ ward.
The shock results of a poll by MSP Neil Bibby and the Paisley Labour Party also showed a sharp fall in support for the SNP in the wake of the closure.
The Scottish Government shut ward 15 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in January despite widespread local opposition to the move.
A massive 98 per cent of the 1,111 responses were against then health secretary Shona Robison’s decision to transfer paediatric inpatient and day care cases from Paisley to the new Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.
As part of the survey, the local Labour branch also carried out a poll on previous and current voting intentions.
From the returns, the number of people who voted SNP at last year’s General Election compared with those who would vote for the party if there was an election tomorrow, plummeted by 71 per cent.
Paisley-based MSP Neil Bibby says the poll shows the strength of feeling in the community over the move to close the children’s ward and accused Paisley MP Mhairi Black and MSP George Adam of failing to stand up for the NHS.
Mr Bibby said: “More than 17,000 people told the SNP Government not to close the RAH kids’ ward but they totally ignored their views and closed it anyway.
“I have spoken with hundreds of people who have said to me they will never vote SNP again after this betrayal.
“Local families are angry at the SNP for lying to them about the future of the children’s ward before the 2016 Scottish Parliament election when Nicola Sturgeon denied there were even proposals to close the ward on live television.
“People in the area are also particularly angry at the SNP’s George Adam MSP and Mhairi Black MP who have completely failed our town – if ever there was a time to stand up to their bosses in Edinburgh this was it.
“People are now rightly concerned about the future of local NHS services and they know the RAH is not safe in SNP hands.
“More and more Buddies know that Nicola Sturgeon and her local SNP representatives cannot be trusted with the NHS or the RAH, and this survey backs that up.
“Following the betrayal of our community by the SNP, it’s little wonder that voters are abandoning them in droves.”
SNP MP Mhairi Black insists she did everything in her power to prevent the closure.
She told the Paisley Daily Express: “As many people will be aware health policy is devolved and, as an MP, I had no remit over the decision to close the ward.
“I was disappointed by the cabinet secretary’s decision regarding Ward 15 last year.
“At the request of constituents I invited the cabinet secretary to meet with some of the local people impacted by this decision and I also wrote to her urging for the ward not to close.
“This is the first time I have heard of Mr Bibby’s survey. “Unfortunately, Labour continue to confuse the public, however, I will continue to get on with my day job in Paisley and Renfrewshire South by standing up to Tory austerity, draconian welfare policy, unfair pensions changes, spending on nuclear weapons and warped immigration rules to name just some of the actual issues that an MP has a remit over.”
George Adam MSP declined to comment.