Greens demand cast-iron protection for NHS workers following organisational cuts
The Scottish Greens have demanded cast-iron protections for NHS workers as the Scottish Government prepares to replace Scotland’s 14 territorial health boards with just two strategic boards.
Scottish Greens Shadow Health Secretary Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill MSP has lodged a parliamentary amendment demanding assurances that the shake-up will not result in compulsory redundancies or the loss of frontline services.
Scottish Labour also proposed cutting the number of territorial health boards from 14 to three in its election manifesto.
Scottish Greens Health spokesperson, Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill said:
“Health and social care workers have endured years of relentless pressure, understaffing and uncertainty. They should not now be forced to pay the price for a rushed reorganisation designed behind closed doors.
“This announcement has already created enormous anxiety among NHS staff, patients and service users. People are worried about their jobs, but they are also worried about what such sweeping centralisation will mean for the local services and relationships they depend on.
“John Swinney says there will be no compulsory redundancies, but that promise will mean very little if the only options on the table are redundancy or to completely relocate your life to the other end of the country'.
“The Scottish Government must engage meaningfully with trade unions and the workers who understand our NHS before decisions are made, not after the structure has already been decided. Workers must have a genuine seat at the table, their terms and conditions must be protected, and no one should be forced into worse roles or unreasonable relocation.
“The Scottish Government must urgently publish the details behind these plans, including the responsibilities of the proposed boards, the future of Integration Joint Boards and how local services will be protected. Until then, NHS workers and patients are being asked to take an enormous leap into the dark.”
Kayleigh added:
“Just as we need effective opposition, Scottish Labour are in a place where they cannot credibly challenge any of this, when it stood on a manifesto promising its own cuts to health boards.
“The Scottish Greens are the only party standing up for Scotland's NHS workers, service users and unions.”
Wording of Kayleigh’s amendment
“As an amendment to motion S7M-01003 in the name of Angela Constance (Improving Lives Through Delivering for Scotland), insert at end "; notes the reported concerns raised by workers, patients and communities regarding the proposed centralisation of NHS services; calls for assurances that there will be no compulsory redundancies or loss of frontline services as a result of the scrapping of regional health boards, and further calls on the Scottish Government to urgently publish further information on Integration Joint Board reform, the responsibilities of the proposed two strategic health boards and how responsibility for local service delivery will be managed"