IN this week's councillor column, Helensburgh Central Cllr Graham Hardie (Liberal Democrats) explains how the NHS works in the Helensburgh and Lomond area.
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ARGYLL and Bute is part of NHS Highland, which provides health services for 320,000 people and is spread over 32,500 square kilometres, making it one of the largest and most sparsely populated health boards in the UK.
It is the biggest employer in the region and as an organisation it makes a very significant contribution to the local economy. It directly employs more than 10,500 people and there are also around 1,000 primary care staff.
It is managed by a board of executive and non-executive directors whose role is to oversee the management of the organisation. The board has responsibility for issues such as health improvement, strategic planning and resource allocation and is accountable to the Scottish Government through the Cabinet Secretary.
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Their operational front line services are provided in Argyll and Bute by the Argyll and Bute health and social care partnership (HSCP). It manages acute, primary, community health and mental health services across the region and all adult and children and families social work. Much of the acute and more specialist services are provided from neighbouring NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. These services are purchased by the partnership through formal contracts. Argyll and Bute HSCP also manage their own corporate services.
The HSCP’s vision is to deliver services that help people in Argyll and Bute to live longer, healthier, happier and independent lives. Now GPs, hospitals, social care staff and others work increasingly side-by-side to share information and take a much more co-ordinated approach to the way services are delivered.
The operational management of the HSCP is delivered by the senior leadership team and there is a governance board called the integration joint board (IJB) which has responsibility for the planning, resourcing and overseeing of the operational delivery of integrated services.
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IJB members are elected councillors, NHS Highland board members and individuals from a range of sectors and stakeholder groups including the third sector, independent sector, patients/service users, trade unions, staff and carers.
I was recently appointed to the NHS Highland board as a non-executive director and as such I will be ensuring the residents of Helensburgh and Argyll and Bute will receive the best quality health care.
During this difficult time I will also be working hard with my fellow board members to keep Helensburgh and Argyll and Bute safe while continuing to put into place the specific and necessary measures to tackle this ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
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