Contact Health reporter Katie Mackintosh on katie@holyrood.com or call 0131 272 3105 Portfolio: Health
even this won’t work in isolation, and approach to evaluating what is going to
success will require buy in from teachers, happen when they are implemented.”
>>
newsdigest
the school, the community, parents and However, whatever the solutions pro-
SwInnEy OuTLInES PLAnS TO
most importantly, the children. posed, it is clear that the task at hand is
‘SIMPLIFy’ PubLIC SECTOR SCRuTIny
“They have to decide that they substantial. The affectionate stereotype
Several Scottish bodies in charge of
want to make a difference,” says Frank. of the chubby, drunken Scot staggering
scrutinising public services will either
“There has to be a universal commit- into the chippy on the way home from a
be abolished or merged as part of a
ment. You’ve got to build the right kind night of boozing to pick up a fish supper, move to simplify the public sector and
of culture and then you’ve got to sustain a can of pop and 20 fags is not just how improve services, Finance Secretary
it as there will be other forces chipping “ithers” see us, we see it in ourselves. To
John Swinney has announced.
away at it.” what extent does Frank think Scots have
A new health scrutiny body that
What of the Scottish Government’s become resigned to ill health being part
will merge together the functions of
much debated proposals for raising the of Scotland’s culture?
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland,
the Mental Welfare Commission, and
off-sales purchasing age for alcohol to Here, once again, Frank is ever the
the Care Commission will be created.
21? optimist.
In addition, a single body will now
“Well, I have to be careful here as “There are other societies in the
scrutinise body care and social work,
I previously had an interview where world fighting against much worse
bringing together the functions of the
I spoke about this and was taken out demons. For example, I used to work Social Work Inspection Agency, the
of context,” jokes Frank. [A recent in Tanzania where I trained medical Care Commission, and HMIE’s child
front-page report had him questioning assistants in the 1970s and that society is
protection role.
whether the proposals would make any something that is very different than hav-
difference.] I’m not an alcohol expert,” ing a third of young people overweight.
FundIng InvESTEd In REduCIng
nHS wAITIng TIMES
he cautions. “It is a field where there are Young people being overweight, that is
people in Scotland who are very expert You
null
’ve got
Health boards across Scotland will be
completely biologically reversible. They
given an extra £270 million over the
so I can’t comment on whether one par-
to build the
can go back to normal weight within a
next three years to ensure NHS waiting
ticular policy works better than another
right kind
year by just changing their life around.
times are reduced, Health Secretary
because I don’t think that we know for
of culture
But in Tanzania, there are whole regions
Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
sure what works well. But what we do where one third of young people are The Scottish Government is hopeful
know that works generally internation-
and then
HIV positive. And that is not reversible.
the cash injection will help achieve its
ally, is price.”
you’ve got
“So which is the bigger challenge?”
target that patients in Scotland will wait
This, he admits, presents another to sustain it he asks. “In a way there is more hope
no longer than 18 weeks from referral
sort of challenge for the Scottish Gov- here, even though I know it is a well
by their GP to treatment, by 2011.
as there will
ernment.
be other
established pattern and people feel dis-
nEw OnLInE TOOL TO TACKLE
“The problem for the Scottish Gov- couraged sometimes. But, heck, people
ernment is that they are kind of stuck
forces
wORKPLACE STRESS
can change and many of these health
between a rock and a hard place because
chipping
The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working
problems can be turned around.”
Lives (SCHWL) is set to launch a new
they are told by Whitehall that they don’t away at it However, for this to happen, he says online tool tomorrow in a bid to address
have the right to tax. there needs to be a system in place that stress in the workplace.
“… So it is not easy to know how to
advise the Government if they can’t do
anything about price.”
null
reaches out to people in whatever cul-
Launched to coincide with National
tural corner they reside and supports
Stress Awareness Day on November
them to make those changes.
5, the free online resource is aimed at
helping employers identify issues that
And yet, regardless of the merits “It is not that Mother Nature has
may contribute to stress and helping
of that particular policy, is he encour- consigned them to the dustbin,” he says.
promote a more positive culture in the
aged that the Scottish Government is “It is not that they are pre-ordained to
workplace.
prepared to consider such a radical have that disease. It is remarkably revers-
approach? Does that augur well for any ible until quite far on. So you have got to POORER AREAS ‘nEEd gREATER gP
fresh ideas that the collaboration may look at it that way. We all know people ACCESS’
come up with? who turned around a drinking problem
Scotland’s less wealthy areas need
“I think it is refreshing,” he says. “It or a smoking problem or a drug prob-
greater access to GP services as the
is a fresh feeling for me to see a willing- lem, so guess what? It is actually a fairly
current system does not address
ness to consider relatively unpopular positive set of problems to have com-
persisting health inequalities, according
to the Health and Sport Committee.
moves like the one you described. But if pared to the third world.”
In its response to the Scottish
they are really unpopular then the onus While there may not be many imme-
Government’s Equally Well report on
is upon government to make sure there is diately inclined to share Frank’s glass
health inequalities, the committee says
a full evaluation and that has to include half full perspective on Scotland’s health
there is a need for a reassessment of
unintended side effects too.” record, it is, nevertheless, incredibly the funding structures for GPs to deliver
Hence the importance of good refreshing to hear someone so convinced care that is more responsive to need,
research? “I think it is about being holis- that whatever problems Scotland has
and calls for the Scottish Government to
tic,” he agrees. “If you are going to do they are eminently fixable. For him there
press the British Medical Association to
things for which we haven’t got great evi- are no ifs, buts, or maybes; simply how
agree a new contract that encourages
a greater proportion of GPs to work in
dence and if they are going to work then and when. Here’s hoping his enthusiasm
deprived areas of Scotland.
you want to make sure you broaden the is contagious. HM
| www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 17 November 2008 |
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