Highlands & Islands MSP and Shadow Health Inequalities Minister, Rhoda Grant, has stepped into the row over the suspension of health visiting services on the Western Isles because of problems filling vacancies at the islands’ Health Board.
Services suspended include routine postnatal visits by a Health Visitor. 27-month home assessments of babies in the Uists and on Barra were being suspended. Parents have been asked to take their children to clinics for this assessment.
Speaking this morning, Rhoda Grant said “ It is very concerning that staffing should get to the level that services such as those carried out by Health Visitors in the Western Isles are having to be suspended. I have written today to the NHS Western Isles Board and the Cabinet Secretary for Health, seeking reassurance that all that can be done to recruit qualified Health Visitors, is being done”.
“ It is essential that services to new mothers are being prioritised and those other mothers who are due home assessments are kept informed of developments”.
“ It is alarming that such issues crop up and I have asked whether there are any particular ‘blockers’ to the recruitment of qualified staff. If there is not sufficient interest on these islands to fill all the posts, how widely are they being advertised. The other element is that of forward planning by both the Health Board and the Scottish Government. By that I mean are they fully aware of staffing needs going forward and are they taking account of staff retiring and moving on and are they planning far enough ahead to deal with the situation. The Scottish Government must ensure that sufficient numbers of Health Visitors are trained in Scotland to meet our needs, if this is not the case they must increase training and incentives to encourage nurses to retrain.”
She continued “ I am somewhat relieved to learn through the media, that the Health Board are interviewing candidates for the vacant posts at the end of the month, so I hope the positions will be filled in a matter of weeks. That said we have to make sure that every opportunity is taken to maximise the recruitment of Health staff to all parts of the Highlands & Islands and no one location is losing out on key services because of location or other factor”.
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