Rhoda Grant has revealed new official figures showing that the number of nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Highland is now 100 fewer than in 2007, the year the present SNP Government took power and is set to fall even further.

Figures from ISD Scotland, the Scottish NHS database, indicate that in September 2007 , the number of nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Highland was 3,256 whole time equivalents (wte),but by June of this year, the number had fallen to 3,154 wte , a drop of over 100 posts.

NHS Highland themselves predict that the number will decline even further by March of next year to 3,087 wte, a loss of 54 posts over the present financial year.

Ms Grant said,

"Alex Salmond’s pre-election promise to ‘protect the health service for the duration of the next parliament’ has been broken within just 4 months of polling stations closing.

"The reduction of almost 170 nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Highland by next March under the SNP is perturbing news for both patients and staff.

"Dedicated overburdened staff should not be expected to work more with less resources to provide more help for more people.

"Frontline services at NHS Highland simply cannot meet the growth in demand for services while nursing and midwifery posts are being lost."

MSP's concern over rise in Diabetes in the Highlands

18 August 2011

A dramatic rise in the numbers of people diagnosed with diabetes in the NHS Highland area is causing huge concern for Highlands & Islands Labour MSP David Stewart.

A 2005 pharmaceutical industry report had predicted that the number of cases of diabetes in NHS Highland would be 5,732 by 2013.

However, the latest annual Scottish Diabetes Survey indicated that the numbers in NHS Highland diagnosed with diabetes had already soared to 13,914 last year, well over twice the forecast figure.

The official estimate of those with diabetes in NHS Highland is put at 19,843.

This includes a further 5,929 undiagnosed cases .

This number of undiagnosed cases represents 1.9 per cent of the population of the health board area.

Mr Stewart acknowledged the "dedicated work" that the NHS were carrying out in the Highlands in treating diabetes.

He said,

"Diabetes is not just simply a life-long condition. It also has a host of potentially serious complications such as heart disease, eye problems, strokes and kidney disease if the condition is not treated properly.

He continued “If we want the NHS to be a 21st. century leader in preventative health, then we must take co-operative action towards that goal.

"The public can expect quality advice on risks to health that certain conditions pose, quality care to enable self-management by those indentified with that condition, as well as the best possible information on how to minimise the risks at the outset”.

Notes

For further information, see :
http://www.scotpho.org.uk/home/Healthwell-beinganddisease/Diabetes/Data/diabetes_undiagnosed.asp

- from the Scottish Public Health Observatory

Those diagnosed with the various types of diabetes were :

Type 1 - 1,706 ( 12.3 per cent )

Type 2 - 12,100 ( 87 per cent)

Others - 108

Total - 13,914.

In 2005, ABPI Scotland (the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry in Scotland ) published a report called “The Future Burden of CHD ( coronary heart disease) and Diabetes in Scotland” which outlined great concern about the increase in the number of cases of diabetes across the country.

It said that diabetes was “ growing dramatically” and that “the impact of living with diabetes has potentially devastating consequences for individuals, the NHS in Scotland and our society as a whole.”

It indicated that there were 5,141 cases of diabetes in the NHS HIghland area in 2004.

It forecast that by 2013, the number of cases of diabetes in NHS Highland would rise to 5,732.

This prediction was made on the basis of population-based changes .

It did add that, “Given lifestyle trends, especially increasing levels of obesity, the true number with diabetes is likely to be even greater.”

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Rhoda Grant calls for SNP to reverse Fuel Poverty Budget Cut as yet another Fuel Company Announces Price Hike

22 July 2011

Speaking today as Scottish & Southern Energy announced that household gas bills will increase by an average 18% and electricity bills by an average 11%, Scottish Labour's deputy finance spokesperson Rhoda Grant MSP said,

“With energy company after energy company announcing price hikes like this it is our duty to help the poorest and most vulnerable in our society, who will be hit hardest by soaring bills in these already tough times.

“The fact that one in three Scots are now struggling to heat their homes – almost twice as many as in England – underlines just how wrong it was for the SNP government to slash the fuel poverty budget by almost a third.

“I urge the SNP government to wake-up to the reality facing hard-pressed Scots and urgently reverse its cut to the fuel poverty budget."

Notes :
(1) Citizens Advice Scotland recently warned of a growing ‘crisis’ of fuel poverty in Scotland, after official figures showed that the problem is significantly worse in Scotland than in the UK as a whole. The UK government report showed that Scottish fuel poverty is running at 33% while the rate in the UK as a whole is 20%.
http://www.cas.org.uk/news/2011-news/July/Fuel+poverty+approaching+crisis+levels+in+Scotland

(2) The Scottish Government spending on fuel poverty has been cut by £22.9m (32%) in the last year.
Total fuel poverty spending:
2010-11: £70.9m
2011-12: £48.0m
Details of 2010-11 budget: http://bit.ly/j5xdJI
Details of 2011-12 budget: http://bit.ly/jDtzyW

(3) Definition of fuel poverty:
A person is living in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, they would be required to spend more than 10 per cent of their household income (including Housing Benefit or Income Support for Mortgage Interest) on all household fuel use.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/access/FP

Rhoda Grant urges participation in BBC 3G mobile phone Coverage Study

18 July 2011

The BBC is conducting a major survey into the state of mobile phone coverage in the UK.
Over the course of the next month, the project will attempt to chart the availability of 3G and 2G services up and down the country.

Mobile operators offer their own coverage maps but no independent survey has yet been carried out.

Measurements will be made using an app developed by network analysis firm Epitiro.

The software can be downloaded by anyone with an Android handset and will record street level coverage across Britain.

At the end of the test period, the BBC aims to display the results on a clickable map.

Highlands & Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, who is campaigning for improved broadband services across the Highlands & Islands said,

“ This is the opportunity for those that have poor mobile reception and broadband connectivity to take part and help identify all the areas in the Highlands & Islands which suffer from a very poor or weak signal”

Ms. Grant went on to say,

“ I understand that those wishing to take part will need an Android handset to download the app.

"Once downloaded, data will be collected without you having to do anything more.

"If you wish to see what coverage is like in a particular place, simply click on the app.

"The app is free to download and it uses very little bandwidth .

"The data is anonymised and neither Epitiro nor the BBC will collate or store any personal data”.


Links

BBC to survey UK mobile coverage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13874818

Download the UK 3G Survey App - BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/uk/11/3g_survey/inc/disc.inc

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