Call for consultant to return to help with crisis

A politician has called on NHS Lothian to recall a seconded paediatric consultant to help with the crisis hit children’s ward at St John’s Hospital.

Local Conservative councillor Damian Timson believes NHS Lothian should bring back the consultant who has been seconded from the Lothians to the Borders.

Councillor Timson said: “Whilst we are short of paediatric consultants in West Lothian and indeed across the Lothians, we have the situation were a paediatric consultant is seconded from the Lothians to the Borders.

“I therefore call on NHS Lothian to recall the paediatric consultant seconded to the Borders and place a consultant into St John’s along with support from other consultants at the Sick Kids, Edinburgh until the permanent two are recruited.

“This is the kind of action and planning I would expect to come from the Health Minister and it is about time St John’s and West Lothian were given the attention and management that they deserve.

“This will allow the Paediatric Ward at St John’s to be operational 24/7 sooner rather than later.”

However, NHS Lothian argue that recalling the consultant would do nothing to help with the current situation at the children’s ward.

Jacquie Campbell, chief officer of acute services, NHS Lothian, said: “A consultant who did not work in St John’s Hospital was seconded to work in NHS Borders some time ago.

“In this particular case, it would not make a difference to the staffing rota at St John’s if the member of staff returned to NHS Lothian, because we cannot require consultants to ‘act down’ to fill the middle grade out-of-hours shifts which are required to provide the necessary stability for the inpatient service, unless they have been specifically contracted to do so.”

NHS Lothian’s stance did not sit well with Lothian’s Labour MSP Neil Findlay who has long campaigned for a return to a 24/7 service at St John’s.

Mr Findlay said: “This is more evidence of the failure of the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian to properly plan our NHS workforce.

“It seems like every suggestion made by the Royal College of Paediatrics, local staff and elected representatives is rejected as unworkable.

“Meanwhile, very unwell children are forced to travel up to 33 miles for urgent treatment – this has gone on for six years. It is a complete mess with no sign of it ending.”

Hannah Bardell, SNP MP for Livingston, said: “As ( Health Minister) Shona Robison said in a debate on St John’s in Holyrood recently, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health ( RCPCH) recognised in 2017 there is no quick fix and that a long-term solution is needed, and that is dependent on the successful recruitment of consultants and advanced nurse practitioners.

“I understand NHS Lothian has taken a number of steps to improve consultant recruitment at St John’s, in line with the college’s recommendations.

“Following extensive recruitment campaigns, six new consultants are now in post and interviews in January this year have resulted in an offer being made to another candidate.”

Ms Bardell also added that the problems at St John’s were “set against a backdrop of a decline in the number of medical staff since the EU referendum in 2016.”