THE INTEGRATED Joint Board (IJB) of NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute Council has come into sharp focus this week after it made a decision to close down two nursing homes in Argyll.
But do people really know what it is? Niamh Adams McGilp took to the streets of Lochgilphead to find out if people were aware of the changes.
Asking whether people were aware of the what the IJB was and what they thought of it, Niamh also asked people what they thought was the biggest concern facing health at present. This is what they told us.
Patricia Watkins from Lochgilphead didn’t know about the IJB, but thought it was a good idea to get folks together.She said: ‘If they are all under one roof they’ll probably be able to communicate better.‘ Waiting times are probably the biggest issue for me. You get good treatment but you could book in at the doctor and wait 35 minutes before they see you. You could be in the hospital at 10 and not be seen until 11. Just the delays really.‘I can’t really complain.’
Shirley Nicolson, Lochgilphead, knew what the IJB was and thought that ‘ them being together makes less room for a loss in communication’.She said: ‘ I’d say the biggest issue at the moment is not having enough speciality nurses, if any.‘ It’s not fair making elderly people travel to Glasgow to see a speciality nurse. There should be more employed here, maybe even a clinic.’
Avril Lockhart from Mid Argyll didn’t know what the IJB was. She said: ‘ Hopefully they’ll be able to co- ordinate services better. Having worked in social services, I know what it’s like.‘ Hopefully they’ll be able to manage spending budgets better if they’re working together.‘ I’d say the main issue is lack of funding. There’s not enough services for the people that need them.’
Fiona Wallace, Lochgilphead, said: ‘In principle the idea works, but I think in practice it is going to take longer and be more complex than anticipated.‘I can honestly say I have had no issues, no negative experiences with the current system.’