Scottish Catholic Observer

Supporters of St Margaret of Scotland Hospice in Clydebank are calling on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to fully commit to the facility’s future after plans for an alternative facility were scrapped.

The health board announced last week that a controversial scheme to build a 60-bed nursing home and continuing care beds at Blawarthill Hospital in Glasgow’s west end had been axed.

The news means that the health board’s plans to move resources away from the hospice to the new facility are no longer viable.

Backers of the hospice have gained cross-party support for its future and now seek assurances from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

No obstacles

Labour MSP Des McNulty, a long-term supporter of St Margaret’s Hospice, said that the health board’s decision should ‘remove any obstacle to securing the future of the hospice.’

“St Margaret’s has offered compassionate and dedicated care to patients for almost 60 years,” he said. “Surely if Blawarthill is no longer to go ahead with the continuing care facility, there can be no reason not to offer St Margaret’s the contract needed to secure its future?”

At a debate in the Scottish Parliament last Thursday, organised by Mr McNulty, a cross-party group of MSPs called on the Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to ensure the health board would give its backing to the hospice.

SNP MSP Gil Paterson said St Margaret’s offered services of the ‘very highest standard’ and this was an opportunity to do the right thing. Ross Finnie of the Liberal Democrats said that this situation had been allowed to develop was ‘unsatisfactory’ and he did not trust NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board to resolve it of  ‘its own volition.’

Jackson Carlaw of the Conservatives said the actions of the health board had been ‘perverse.’

Government position

In response Public Health Minister Shona Robison, speaking for Ms Sturgeon, said the government would push the health board to consider every viable option.

“We will ensure that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde gives full consideration to the issue of the continuing care beds at St Margaret’s,” she said. “I remain confident that, by working together, it is possible to seize the opportunity that has undoubtedly arisen through the situation at Blawarthill to have the discussion that perhaps should have happened, has not happened and should happen now, about the option of retaining the beds at St Margaret’s.”

Ms Robison added that the government would push the health board to conclude its review of the situation in the near future.

Fears remain

Despite this positive news Sr Rita Dawson, the chief executive of St Margaret’s Hospice, warned that the future of the facility had not yet been secured.

“We can only hope with such cross-party support, and Shona Robison’s commitment—on Thursday night—when she stated ‘We will ensure that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is at the table with an open mind,’ this will happen sooner rather than later and we look forward to Shona’s commitment being fulfilled and actioned once and for all,” she said.

However Sr Rita also questioned the good faith of the health board saying, that at a meeting on Monday, Catriona Renfrew, the board’s director of corporate planning and policy, had ‘dismissively’ said that the time frame for completion of the review depends on the cabinet secretary—and the current cabinet secretary may not be in the post after the election.

“Yet again, where does this leave the hospice?” Sr Rita asked. “What is the point of having elected politicians when the health board are in a position to ignore any instructions or direction?”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it will now consider the options for continuing care beds in the west end of Glasgow and this review should be concluded by late summer.

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