21 questions left unanswered to date
MSP Alex Neil and MP Neil Gray have raised their concerns about the radical shake-up of the orthopadeic service in Lanarkshire.
In their letter to NHS Lanarkshire chief executive, Callum Campbell, they state:“There is a concern about patients with orthopaedic issues and secondary conditions requiring to be transferred between hospitals.
“For example, what will happen to and who will be responsible for a patient with, for instance, a leg break [who also] requires dialysis at Monklands? Elderly patients in these circumstances are incredibly frail.
“There is a concern among orthopaedic staff at Monklands that removing the service from the hospital will damage the ability to attract trainee A&E doctors; [and] there is a belief among staff that there will be service capacity removed from Hairmyres to accommodate the move.”
Also raised in the politicians’ letter are concerns about the capacity of Hairmyres’casualty department, how a length-of-stay reduction is to be achieved, and whether an orthopaedic short-stay ward is to be established at Monklands“in case patients cannot be transferred quickly enough”.
The politicians then listed a further 21 questions, on topics including impact on A&E departments and on paramedics determining where to take patients; plus staffing, service and theatre reconfiguration across the
Colin Sloey, who is NHS Lanarkshire’s executive director of strategic planning and performance, said:“As part of the consultation process for our healthcare strategy, we plan to hold a series of events to give people the opportunity to give their views, including on our long-term proposals for orthopaedics.
“As part of this we invited MSPs and MPs to a meeting to discuss the strategy, and all present said they found the meeting helpful and informative.
“In respect of the additional correspondence from Alex Neil MSP and Neil Gray MP, we will provide a detailed reply to all issues raised within their letter in due course.”
We will provide a detailed reply in due course . . .