Following Scottish Labour’s successful campaign to secure a public inquiry into issues with infrastructure and safety at two NHS hospitals, party health spokesperson Monica Lennon MSP is renewing calls for extra funding to be made available to help families using their services.
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Monica Lennon is asking for an urgent financial commitment from the Health Secretary to upgrade the current Edinburgh Sick Kids and its A&E department, which is struggling with capacity.
Jeane Freeman is also being urged to increase financial assistance for the families of young patients struggling with accommodation, travel and food costs as a result of the ongoing closure of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, which is equipped for children, young people and their families.
Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson Monica Lennon said:
The purpose-built children’s hospital at the Glasgow campus remains closed because of fears about water safety after children contracted infections.
The adult ward that was supposed to be a safe haven is now closed to new admissions, because of infection risk.
So we have children with cancer being ‘temporarily diverted’ to use the language of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – an expression which is fine if we are talking about cars being rerouted due to roadworks, but when we are talking about toddlers and young people with cancer, I find it rather insensitive.
Monica Lennon is Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Health and Sport
Monica Lennon also took time in the chamber to highlight one family’s story:
Stevie-Jo Kirkpatrick from Dumfries is 15 and has leukaemia, and has been a patient at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for several years.
I spoke to her mum Annemarie on the telephone earlier today.
Stevie-Jo was admitted to the adult ward at the QEUH in November and remained there until February.
Because the Royal Children’s Hospital next door is closed on safety grounds, her parents did not have access to the family facilities there.
During that four month period, her family racked up a bill of £3,000 in travel, food and accommodation costs.
We just want answers and no one is telling us if our children are safe.
There is no social space for teenagers in the adult hospital so when Stevie-Jo has had to be admitted she has been stuck in her room, isolated and anxious.
Annemarie told me, ‘there are no facilities for us. Some days parents don’t eat because we are stuck in a room with our very sick children. There is nowhere to prepare a meal, not even a microwave. There is no peace and quiet if you just need five minutes to yourself. We just want answers and no one is telling us if our children are safe. This is why a public inquiry is long overdue.’
Scottish Labour welcomes the Health Secretary’s commitment to meet families and we urge her to launch a fund to help them with the additional costs they are having to bear as a result of this ongoing crisis.
19th September 2019
