Labour demand rethink on plans for orthopaedics Monklands A&E ‘downgrade’ by move to Wishaw
Concerned Labour politicians have written to the health secretary to rethink plans to ‘ downgrade’ A& E at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie and transfer emergency patients to Wishaw General Hospital.
The Wishaw Press revealed in May that the radical shake-up of the orthopaedic service in Lanarkshire would put extra pressure on the already hard-worked staff at Wishaw General Hospital who would have to deal with emergency admissions from Airdrie, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld.
The shock news was contained in a document – entitled Orthopaedic Services Review September 2015 – which has been obtained by the Wishaw Press.
Elaine Smith and Richard Leonard, the Central Scotland Labour MSPs, have written to health secretary Shona Robison to demand that October’s interim service change does not go ahead
Ms Smith said: “These cuts will be completely unacceptable to people who are only now being consulted after the decision has been made.
“Expert consultants at Monklands Hospital say these cuts will put patient safety at risk. It would be wrong to press ahead and Shona Robison must make clear that these cuts will not happen.”
Colleague Richard Leonard revealed via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Lanarkshire that one in five outpatients and 18 per cent of inpatients wait more than 12 weeks to be seen by an orthopaedic specialist, with the health board responding: “Numbers remain high due to challenges in medical staffing rotas and the pressures of delivering services over three sites.”
Mr Leonard said: “I do not accept that the solution is to reduce orthopaedic capacity by closing down orthopaedic support and theatre time.
“I’m deeply concerned that there will be no on-site orthopaedic surgeons at the hospital which has the busiest A&E department in Lanarkshire. If there are vacancies or staff are spread too thinly, then the Scottish Government needs to work with the health board to solve this.
“This is a public service and yet the public’s views are being disregarded.