McArthur responds to plans to cut health boards

Liam McArthur, Orkney's MSP, has today responded to Scottish Government plans to reduce the number of territorial health boards.   

The announcement was made as part of the Programme for Government laid before the Scottish Parliament this afternoon.   

The plans will see the 14 regional health boards reduced to 2. 

Commenting, Mr McArthur said:   

"Islanders will be instinctively nervous about any plans to centralise health boards, given the specific needs and challenges in delivering healthcare services in rural and island settings. 

"We know the pressure our health and care services are under already and the tough financial environment over the coming years. So public service reform is necessary but it must have the interests of patients at its heart.  

"We cannot afford a repeat of the SNP government’s earlier botched centralisation of social care.  Any changes must protect local accountability, enhance responsiveness to local needs and improve the experience for patients and staff. 

“Discussions on new ways of working have been underway in the islands for some time. It would be wrong for Mr Swinney’s government to pull the rug out from under those involved in that process. 

“As ever, the devil will be in the detail which is why the Health Secretary must now set out clearly the details of his plans and commit to working with communities about how best to meet their needs. Until then, concerns in our islands will remain."