Last month I chaired a meeting in Fort William on the future of the NHS in the Highlands and Islands. The meeting involved the Policy Director and the Head of the Planning team from NHS Scotland, several senior NHS Highland managers and local Highland GPs. We took our inspiration from the radical Dewar report, published 100 years ago, which created the blueprint for the modern NHS.
In the Highlands and Islands we face different challenges in delivering a service such as the NHS. Communities such as the Small Isles can be relatively isolated, which can make provision of services far more expensive.
The Dewar group, the aforementioned group of Highland GPs, are committed to exploring radical new ways to modernise our NHS in order to better service people in our rural communities. I was delighted to be able to bring them together with senior representatives of the Government and NHS Highland, and I hope that these discussions can lead to a better service for the people of the Highlands and Islands and look forward to the Cabinet Secretary’s response to our request for work to be done on a model for provision of health services in remote areas.
A key healthcare issue has been concern in West Ardnamurchan relating to nursing cover, ambulance services, first responders and out of hours care. As readers will know Nicola Sturgeon was set to have a meeting in Kilchoan, but unfortunately this has had to be postponed due to the reshuffle. I’m pleased that the new Health secretary Alex Neil has pledged to honour all diary commitments as soon as possible.
I have been very supportive of Mike Weir MP’s proposed private members bills which would have provided the winter fuel allowance earlier for those off-grid customers who have to buy their extra fuel earlier in the year. This was a great piece of proposed legislation as there is no additional cost involved; it’s simply a case of providing the existing winter fuel allowance earlier for those off grid customers who have to pay in advance for their fuel. I wasn’t at all surprised that the bill collected cross party support, and was hoping to see it implemented as early as possible.
However, it is very disappointing to note that the bill was not able to proceed in Westminster due to being ‘talked out’ by coalition MP’s debating another bill. The delay to this bill, which could make a real difference to the finances of off-grid customers in this challenging economic climate, highlights issues with the process of law making at Westminster. It is further disappointing to note that in a coalition government where Lib Dem Highland MPs are well represented, no one spoke up for the bill to ensure it proceeded as originally planned.
On Friday the 14th I had the pleasure of reopening the Lochaline Quartz Sand mine. It is always great to see new jobs created but this was particularly pleasing for a number of reasons. 11 new jobs have been secured for the long term, as the mine has a 10 year contract and aims to export 100,000 tons a year. In a small community of only around 300 people, 11 new jobs is a fantastic boost to the local economy, and equivalent to 4,000 in Inverness. Furthermore, the developers of the mine have been promoting a very positive relationship with the community by supporting the marina development and assisting with the construction of an access road, as well as providing sand for a new artificial beach. I’m sure Lochaline Quartz Sand Ltd are going to be a great neighbour for the community, and I wish them well for the future.
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