The Action To Save St. John's Hospital Party

Achievements - updated 7th October 2009

Since being elected for the first time in May 2007, the three of us are regularly asked, “what have you achieved?” Well, here’s the list:

• The first all-hospital candidate Party to hold the balance of power in a Council in Scotland

• The first Health Board non-executive member in Scotland who was directly elected on a health platform

• Significant investment for an improved public transport service from West Lothian to Edinburgh based hospitals

• Doubling this year’s Christmas Bonus payment to pensioners in recognition of increased fuel costs this year

• The successful removal of car parking charges at St. John’s Hospital

• Committed the Party to retaining concessionary rail travel for our elderly and disabled citizens

• Secured parity of wage structures with other Lothians hospitals for laboratory staff

• The establishment of the St. John’s Hospital “Stakeholders Group” to examine and scrutinise proposals for future service delivery at St. John’s

• Agreement to commission an independent review of emergency surgery and elective orthopaedics at St. John’s in conjunction with other service provision

• The return to St. John’s Hospital of a dedicated senior management team headed up by John Jack enabling new direct 2 way communication between St John's and the Councillors

• An enhanced working relationship with NHSiL to facilitate early discussion and fact checking, with a view to creating cohesion between Council and NHS

• The continuation of the successes already achieved by the Community Health & Care Partnership in West Lothian by partnership working

What has been achieved to date is, by any stretch of the imagination, quite remarkable. In time, we hope to add much more..

Update 7th October 2009

• Delivering the first Council housing to be built in 25 years

• More police officers on the beat throught the provision of new Safer Neighbourhood Teams

• Police officers based at two secondary schools to improve links with younger people

• Improving school buildings and facilities

• Increased funding to Gala Days, the Arts, Cultural and Sporting Organisations

• Increased respite provision for carers

• A root and branch review of all Council service provision for the elderly

In addition, we have enabled our SNP Administration partners to deliver their national policy objectives at local level, including:

• Reducing class sizes in local schools

• Free school milk for P1 to P3 pupils

• A Council Tax freeze for the past two years

We will continue to work with our SNP partners in running West Lothian Council to deliver the best services for all sections of our communities.

Our shared values and beliefs in the provision of Health Services, free at the point of delivery and delivered as locally as possible, will ensure the continuation of the successful partnership working to date. Underpinning this relationship will be the ASSJH commitment to ensure proper accountability by those charged with providing our Health Services.

We look forward to working for the remainder of this administration with SNP partners at local and national level to secure equity of services throughout the Lothians.

In keeping with the ASSJH Manifesto commitments, the interests of the people of West Lothian will come first. WE will put THEIR interests above those of Party OR partners on all issues.

And on Health, we will deliver on OUR promises, though the Heavens fall.