Published: Friday, 11th January, 2008 14:35
Arrogance of health board beggars belief
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The arrogance of the health board’s decision to try to push ahead with its plans to downgrade Vale of Leven Hospital beggars belief.
Staff at the Vale and the communities they serve have made it crystal clear time and again that they have grave concerns about the safety of these proposals.
The case against the proposed change was bolstered only recently when the independent scrutiny panel delivered a stinging rebuke to the board, both for the nature of its plans and for the manner in which it has sought to implement them.
For the board to simply ignore all of these warnings and try to carry on regardless really does take arrogance to a whole new level.
Nicola Sturgeon deserves credit for stepping in to demand an explanation.
She is also to be commended for making clear that nothing can proceed without her say-so and, indeed, for having established the scrutiny process in the first place.
However, we are now approaching the moment of truth: the board seems determined to try to press ahead, but Ms Sturgeon can stop it from doing so with the stroke of a ministerial pen.
The Health Secretary must show she is up to the challenge. The people served by the Vale deserve nothing less.
Jackson Carlaw
Shadow Minister for Public
Health
Conservative MSP for West of
Scotland
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