Scottish candidates prepare for Holyrood

  Scottish parliamentary hopefuls faced questions from doctors last week at a hustings event held in the run up to the Holyrood election on 5 May. Health spokespeople from all the major parties were quizzed on subjects including health funding, widening access to medical school, health and social care integration and how to manage patient expectations. Medical students and doctors from all branches of practice, and from across Scotland, attended the event, held at the BMA Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh. Answering questions were: Jenny Marra, Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman; Shona Robison, who was health secretary in the last parliament and who was representing the SNP; Alison Johnstone for the Scottish Greens; Jim Hume for the Scottish Liberal Democrats; and Jackson Carlaw for the Conservatives. The panel members — all of whom are seeking re-election in May — began by setting out priorities for health before answering questions from the floor.   Moving resources Rob Gray, a consultant in older people’s psychiatry with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, questioned whether health and social care integration would work if it was to involve moving resources from secondary to primary care. He warned: ‘Secondary care beds are running at 100 per cent occupancy. You can’t close down beds.’ He was followed by BMA Scottish GPs committee chair Alan McDevitt, who said there needed to be an honest conversation with the public. H...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news