Month: December 2019

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, who has campaigned for a decade for better broadband in the Highlands and Islands has said she is dismayed to hear that the procurement of the R100 contract for the north will be delayed again, causing untold frustration for constituents throughout the region.

The MSP was informed of this by way of a government inspired question from Paul Wheelhouse, the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, who advised that BT plc has been selected as the preferred bidder for the contract covering the north area and the government had intended to finalise governance and sign this contract in coming weeks.  However, the award is now subject to a legal challenge from Gigaclear Ltd, which the Scottish Government is currently considering and seeking advice on.

Mrs Grant said “Yet again, we have delays with the Highlands and Islands getting access to improved broadband.  Contracts in other parts of Scotland are signed and sealed but the north remains in limbo.

“This is a far cry from the Scottish Government’s claims to have everyone in Scotland connected to superfast broadband by 2021.  At this rate, we could be lucky if contracts are signed by then, never mind the infrastructure improved.

The MSP continued “It is not good enough, the north deserves, and needs, better.”

ENDS

Details of the Government Inspired Question is below.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

19 December 2019

Index Heading: Organisational Development and Operations

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on procurement contracts relating to its Reaching 100% programme.

S5W-26766

Paul Wheelhouse: Following my announcement on 10 October that BT plc was the sole bidder for lots 2 and 3, covering Central and South Scotland, I can confirm that these contracts were signed on Monday 16 December.

BT plc has also been selected as the preferred bidder for lot 1, covering the North area. We had intended to finalise governance and sign this contract in the coming weeks. However, I can confirm that this award is now subject to a legal challenge from Gigaclear Ltd, which the Scottish Government is currently considering and seeking advice on. This will include consideration of the potential impact on the North lot and I will update Parliament as soon as I have more information. This development does not impact the Central and South lots.

 

Yesterday, I lambasted the Scottish Government following its statement in Holyrood over the Ferguson Shipyard Ferry Fiasco.
You can see my contribution and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work response above

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has said that the Scottish Health Council (SHC) and the Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Health, Joe Fitzpatrick, have ‘totally missed the point’ about calling in the Uist dental decision.

Mrs Grant said “I contacted both organisations on 12 November asking them to now call in the decision to centralise dental services in Uist.

“Had the IJB taken the decision the Scottish Health Council would not have had the power to call it in as there is a loophole in legislation which prevents the SHC from calling in a decision made by an IJB.  This decision however was eventually taken by NHS Western Isles and the Comhairle so I have asked that the SHC now calls it in as they do have the power to scrutinise decisions made by health boards.

Mrs Grant continued “Taking local services out of communities is to be avoided at all cost and I will try, yet again, to have this damaging decision reversed.”

Health chiefs have told an MSP that it is short of more than five full-time mental health nurses on a ward which was recently closed.

NHS Highland said the Strathy ward, in Migdale Hospital, Bonar Bridge, stopped taking “new admissions” in the middle of November, but the health authority has now said it has “no patients” on the ward at present.

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, wrote to NHS Highland’s Chief Executive, Iain Stewart, to ask more questions about the closure, following representations from a concerned constituent.

“The Chief Executive’s reply reveals a very shocking picture of mental health staff shortages which are especially felt in a rural area such as Sutherland,” said Mrs Grant.

“The small ward cares for ten older, adult elderly requiring assessment. Having that facility closer to home would have been a boon for the patients but also for their families and friends.

“It brings home the dire shortage of such staff and prompts the question of whether facilities such as the Strathy ward can ever reopen without a huge investment in both training and funding.”

Mrs Grant is writing to Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, to ask what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that mental health facilities and services are retained and expanded in the region.

The health authority’s reply highlights that the full establishment for the Strathy ward for qualified staff is 10.32 whole time equivalents (WTE) but there are 5.64 WTE registered mental health nurse vacancies.

The Chief Executive said that shortages meant that on the ward there would have been only the equivalent of just over two full-time staff available to work there, considering staff on sick leave and maternity leave.

NHS Highland said it was doing “all we can to recruit staff and in due course reopen the ward”.

“Every effort is being made to obtain nursing staff on a temporary or permanent basis with bank posts being fast tracked through recruitment and temporary contracts being offered to bank staff to ensure that the ward can safely open to admissions,” said the health authority.

“Clearly the risk of using bank and agency staff is that their attendance cannot be guaranteed therefore we cannot guarantee the safety of patients admitted to a ward based only on this staffing model. This is particularly relevant to patients requiring mental health care.”

It was also stressed that Migdale Hospital’s general Kylesku ward remains open and busy.

In November NHS Highland announced the ten-patient ward had both vacancies and sick leave affecting staffing numbers, and while every effort had been made to obtain registered mental health nursing cover including staff members working additional hours, bank and agency support there had been little success in getting the cover required.

It said then that older patients requiring inpatient mental health care would need to be admitted to New Craigs in Inverness.

Mrs Grant added: “I know that New Craigs has its own staffing problems and that community services have been cut.”

Migdale Hospital opened in 2011 at the cost of £8million.