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NHS scrutiny panel chair announced |
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Friday, 17 August 2007 |
The Independent Scrutiny Panel which will consider NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde's proposals for future NHS services in Clyde, including those provided at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, which is earmarked for downgrading, is to be chaired by Professor Angus Mackay
Professor Mackay, who is a former Chair of the Health Technology Board for Scotland, has been appointed by Nicola Sturgeon to head up the Panel which will start its work next month.
The Health and Wellbeing Secretary has also announced the terms of reference for the Panel, which will look at the relevant service proposals with the aim of providing assurance to the public that the proposals are, in light of the presumption against centralisation, reasonable and necessary, and that they are safe, sustainable, evidence-based and represent value for money.
It will also look at the proposals to ensure they are robust, patient-centred and consistent with clinical best practice and national policy, and have been prepared taking appropriate account of the views of individuals and communities affected, as assessed by the Scottish Health Council.
The panel is scheduled to complete this work by November 2007.
Sturgeon said: “Any proposals for significant service change in the Scottish NHS will now be subject to rigorous independent scrutiny before public consultation can take place. The Scottish Government intends to consult on proposals for embedding independent scrutiny in the service change process soon.
“NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde approved its Clyde service proposals at the end of June. I do not wish to delay the independent scrutiny of these proposals or to hold up formal public consultation on them. I have therefore decided to put in place a separate arrangement to ensure the robust independent scrutiny of the proposals for service change in Clyde.
“It is important that the Chair of this Panel be someone who is demonstrably impartial and objective; has extensive experience of the NHS; and who has standing within the health service. In Professor Mackay we have an ideal figure to lead the Panel.
“I want to assure local people that I have specifically asked the Panel to consider whether NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde's proposals are - in light of the Government's presumption against the centralisation of NHS services - reasonable and necessary, and whether all viable service options have been considered.”
Professor Angus Mackay said:
“I look forward to Chairing the Independent Panel which will consider whether NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde has taken appropriate account of the views of local people in developing its proposals for consultation.
“Local people and clinicians will rightly expect the Board's proposals for consultation to be robust, evidence-based, patient-centred and consistent with clinical best practice and national policy."
The Panel will have three members besides the Chair - a clinical expert, a financial professional and an individual with expertise in the field of public engagement and consumer interests, which will be announced shortly.
One person has commented on this article. 1. Low Risk Pregnancies
Noreen Mccomish, Unregistered I believe that women with low risk pregnancies have the right to deliver in a low risk setting provided by the CMU. We have to change the culture of medicalisation in childbirth. This will take time because for years women have been misled into believing that birth could only safely take place with obstetricians and paediatricians at delivery.This setting actively causes the cascade of interventions which leads to c/ sections and assisted deliveries. I firmly believe that GPs have a huge responsibility for the low uptake of the CMU model of care.This is understandable.Their only experience of caring for women in childbirth has been in a medical environment in obstetric hospitals.These hospitals have huge c/section and intervention rates.It has been shown that CMUs will bring down the c/section rate and improve womens experience of childbirth. A normal delivery costs far less than a c/section.Our women should have the right to give birth locally if safe for them to do so. We have already sacrificed our consultant unit in this area, I believe we have done our bit to save the Health Board money
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Last Updated ( Friday, 17 August 2007 )
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