John Swinney should focus on fixing Caithness healthcare issues, says MP Jamie Stone
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Scotland’s new first minister has been urged to focus on the Highlands, with a lack of dentists in Caithness and the downgraded maternity service in the far north among the issues raised by far north MP Jamie Stone.
Along with his Liberal Democrat colleague David Green, who is the party’s candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross in the next Scottish parliamentary election, Mr Stone said his constituents were “fed up with the soap opera shenanigans going on in Edinburgh”.
In a joint letter to John Swinney, who became first minister on Tuesday, the pair lay out several issues facing the area, including lack of access to health services, poor investment in roads, and lack of defence against extreme climates.
Their letter states: “For your government to truly reach all four corners of Scotland, special attention must be paid to areas like the Highlands which have historically suffered from unique problems.
“Residents tell us that no dentists are taking on patients in Caithness and that they must book an appointment in Easter Ross – with a one-year waiting list. Only recently, the then health secretary confirmed that necessary bespoke solutions were being looked into to secure an equitable NHS dental service for all patients in Scotland.”
And it adds: “Since the women’s health and maternity services unit was downgraded at Caithness General Hospital, pregnant mum’s-to-be are having to make a 200-mile round trip to give birth. It means having to drive over two hours just for routine appointments. This hospital was consultant-led in the past, and it should be once again.”
Mr Stone has asked Mr Swinney for a meeting to discuss issues affecting the Highlands.
The MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross said: "The carousel of SNP first ministers has further delayed government schemes that are already years behind schedule. Our new first minister has one chance to put right some of these wrongs, but I fear that the damage to public trust began a long time ago.
"It is time for a serious change in direction. Whether or not this current government is capable of this is up to them and them alone."
Mr Green added: "From a lack of access to local GPs and dentists to worries about finding an affordable home in their community, people desperately need a government focused on their priorities.
"But John Swinney is a continuity candidate with a history of threatening councils, ring-fencing funding and centralising power. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Salmond, Sturgeon and Yousaf and shared in their failures. This leopard cannot change its spots.
"People deserve a real alternative that will reset the government's broken relationship with rural Scotland.”
The full text of the letter reads:
Dear Mr Swinney,
We are writing to congratulate you on your appointment as First Minister and to wish you good luck in your endeavour to improve the lives of Scots all over this good country.
For your Government to truly reach all four corners of Scotland, special attention must be paid to areas like the Highlands which have historically suffered from unique problems. To name but a few examples…
Residents tell us that no dentists are taking on patients in Caithness and that they must book an appointment in Easter Ross – with a one-year waitlist. Only recently, the then Health Secretary confirmed that necessary bespoke solutions were being looked into to secure an equitable NHS dental service for all patients in Scotland.
This year, Highland Liberal Democrats wrote to NHS Highland regarding neurodevelopmental screening expressing our deep concern towards the four-year backlog of referrals waiting for screening. NHS Highland has now spent six months reviewing this programme, but is no further forward on clearing this backlog.
When it comes to care services in North West Sutherland, patients are told that they cannot leave hospital if they have care needs as there are no social carers in the area. Centralising social care services has left Highland patients in a dire state of affairs.
Since the women’s health and maternity services unit was downgraded at Caithness General Hospital, pregnant mum’s-to-be are having to make a 200-mile round trip to give birth. It means having to drive over two hours just for routine appointments. This hospital was consultant-led in the past, and it should be once again.
Furthermore, the project to dual the A9 road is now due to be completed 10 years late, almost 30 years after the SNP first promised the electorate to dual it.
Extreme weather in our patch sees more damage to the roads, resulting in treacherous potholes. It also means flooding, risking closure to the Far North Railway and fracture of electricity cables.
And, we are sure you will also be disgusted to hear that sewage was dumped into our waterways almost 1500 times last year, all under the watch of Scottish Water.
We would welcome a meeting with you and your new Government Ministers to discuss your plans to improve the livelihoods of Highlanders. Many of the above cases are overdue a progress update, which we would also welcome.
As our new First Minister, you have the chance to put right the wrongs of your predecessors by paying close attention to the unique challenges faced by different areas in Scotland. We are sure you will agree that failure to make good on promises does nothing for public trust in democracy.
Yours sincerely,
Jamie Stone MP
David Green, Liberal Democrat MSP Candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
