NHS chief keen to ensure island perspective reflected in public sector reform talks
NHS Shetland chief executive Brian Chittick says he will “advocate strongly” for local patients in upcoming discussions on public sector reform.
He said he is keen to ensure that “our island perspective is fully reflected as plans develop and that our community has a meaningful voice in shaping and implementing any future changes”.
His comments come after first minister John Swinney outlined plans for widespread public sector reform in Scotland.
The number of health boards on mainland Scotland will reduce to two, while alternative solutions will be explored for the three island areas.
One idea raised for the islands is a single authority model, which could see the council and health board merge.
But Chittick said this was just one of a number of potential options for Shetland.
He said the wider intention from the government is to ensure NHS resources are used as “effectively as possible so that more investment can be directed towards patient care”.
“This is a significant policy proposal for health and care services across Scotland,” Chittick said.
“For Shetland, it presents an important opportunity to shape a sustainable, locally appropriate approach for the future, with the single island authority model being only one of the options under consideration.
“While discussions are still at an early stage, we are actively engaged in conversations about what these proposals could mean for our patients, staff and communities.”
Speaking after Swinney’s announcement earlier this month, Shetland Islands Council leader Emma Macdonald said it was “important that we really look at what the proposals are and how best we can shape the right thing for Shetland”.
“We have always felt that Shetland was best served by its current arrangements as we work well with our partners but if the world is changing we need to be able to consider what the best way forward is and we need to do that as a council, so there’s a lot of things we will need to consider and explore over the next few months,” she said at the time.
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Macdonald also said a proposed three-month timescale for talks with government was “very tight”.
Shetland MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad, of the SNP, however said a tight timeline “sharpens the discussion”.
She also said public sector reform offered opportunities for Shetland and suggested a single authority model could offer a “massive step towards autonomy” for the isles.
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