Mary Scanlon: When the issue of emergency cover and a new district nurse in west Ardnamurchan was raised in the Parliament last year, the health secretary rightly said that it is crucial that the NHS and the Scottish Ambulance Service come up with a model of service provision that is deliverable and which satisfies the community’s concerns about safety and sustainability.
From the responses that I have received this week, I know that the community is not satisfied, as it has a nurse for the whole of west Lochaber and not just west Ardnamurchan, and no local emergency cover. Will the health secretary now intervene in the matter?
Nicola Sturgeon: I said previously and I say again to Mary Scanlon that I absolutely understand the concerns of local people. I believe strongly that people who live in the remotest parts of Scotland have a right to high-quality health services but, as I have said before in the chamber, how those are delivered in some of our more remote communities will sometimes differ from how they are delivered in urban Scotland.
I remain firmly of the view that dialogue must continue so that we get to a position at which the people of the community feel that their health service cover is adequate and safe. I will continue to ensure that both the local health board and the Ambulance Service, which is a key player, continue to strive for that. I am happy to meet Mary Scanlon and local constituents if that would be helpful but, fundamentally, the issue is for the local community, working with the health services, to resolve to its satisfaction.
No comments:
Post a Comment