Waiting game
Waiting, waiting, waiting. It鈥檚 been a day for patience at Holyrood.
We await the publication this afternoon of amendments to the Budget Bill which could secure its passage.
We wait - and wait and wait - for the Electoral Commission to issue its verdict upon Wendy Alexander鈥檚 campaign funding.
We await an explanation from NHS Tayside or the Scottish Government regarding a patient who was, .
The issue was raised at questions to the first minister by Nicol Stephen, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader. He read out a letter sent to a patient advising that he had been instructed to remove her from the waiting list for treatment.
On Nicol Stephen鈥檚 interpretation, the 鈥渉idden鈥 waiting lists of the inglorious past have now been replaced by a simpler approach: kick patients off the main list so that the 18 week target for treatment is preserved.
Three possible scenarios. This individual case has been misinterpreted by the surgeon in question whose letter indicates that he is decidedly unhappy. That seems unlikely.
Alternatively, this is a highly exceptional case. The woman patient requires liposuction for a medical condition. It appears that this consultant, Alex Munnoch, is the only one in Scotland offering this particular expertise.
The third scenario? That this sort of thing is more widespread. Indeed, Mr Munnoch himself suggests in his letter that he has more than one patient affected by such decisions.
Either way, we await answers. A tedious task - but nothing like as bad as waiting for surgical treatment.
Update:
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon is contacting NHS Tayside - and the health board where the woman lives.
She says that the case dates from the 21st of December - that is, before strict new rules abolishing 鈥渉idden waiting lists鈥 were introduced.
In other words, Tayside would not be able to take such a decision now.
Further update
As billed, Nicola Sturgeon contacted NHS Tayside. She says the problem wasn鈥檛 waiting lists - but failure to agree a funding deal over the case between Tayside and the woman鈥檚 home health board, Lothian.
The good news is that the woman has now been promised treatment for her condition.
Indeed, Tayside go further. They say that those patients (plural) dropped from Mr Munnoch鈥檚 list will be treated, in Tayside. He is the only surgeon in the UK conducting the particular procedure involved.
As for the consultant, he has now 鈥渁pologised unreservedly鈥 for any suggestion that patients were removed from the list to meet targets.
It now appears that, contrary to the previous impression, he was 鈥渦nder no pressure from managers in Tayside鈥.
So that鈥檚 OK then.
Final update
Interviewed Nicola Sturgeon about her direct intervention in the Tayside case. Her voice was notably hoarse.
Suppose that鈥檚 what happens when you spend the afternoon shouting at health boards.
I'm 
Comments
Does Brian's wee 'UPDATE' mean that this kind of shenanigans would have beeen perfectly kosher when the LibDems co-ran the NHS - but that the SNP have now stopped this kind of maquerade?
Sounds like it - but perhaps some kind Unionista will enlighten me?
Brian
Sorry - the "mugs" aren't swallowing the "wait and see" line any more.
We have already worked out the Electoral Commission is holding out until Labour does the dirty deed of getting rid of Wendy Alexander as Scottish leader.
The Commission will announce she is not to be prosecuted and they think no one will care because she will be a "nobody" at that point.
Unfortunately for them, some of us still believe that if someone is removed from a post it doesn't mean they shouldn't be held responsible for breaches of the law they committed while they were in that post.
Does Brian's wee 'UPDATE' mean that this kind of shenanigans would have beeen perfectly kosher when the LibDems co-ran the NHS - but that the SNP have now stopped this kind of masquerade?
Sounds like it - but perhaps some kind Unionista will enlighten me?
Does Brian's wee 'UPDATE' mean that this kind of shenanigans would have beeen perfectly kosher when the LibDems co-ran the NHS - but that the SNP have now stopped this kind of masquerade?
Sounds like it - but perhaps some kind Unionista will enlighten me?
The case above highlights how wrong the old system of dumping patients off waiting lists and onto hidden lists under the Labour/LibDem coalition, and how right the SNP were to change all that.
So all Nicol Stephen has done is shoot himself in the foot over his own past incompetence, and there is no effective NHS treatment available for that chronic condition.
The great Nicol Srtephen was so worried about the poor lady that he waited"god knows how long" to score a wee political point over Alec Salmond before doing anything to help his constituent. A real caring gentleman isn't he ?
Why is anybody surprised? This has been going on both in Scotland and England for several years now. The most popular method round here (Tayside) seems to be 'pretend' appointments. The patient receives a letter informing them that they have missed an appointment and have therefore been chucked off the waiting list, having never received the appointment in the first place...Very clever I suppose, but disgustingly dishonest and unkind to people who are suffering.
Whilst the Scottish Government and the English Government continue to set targets, people will continue to massage figures so that the 'targets' are met because of job vulnerability and financial penalties applied if not reached. You cannot run a country based on 'targets' - which is now being proved and coming home to roost.
I was in sales all my working life and where businesses set targets, all staff spent half their working time and sometimes more in the case of managers, 'fiddling' the figures.
Successful businesses do not set targets - it does not work - and never has!!
Oh dear, what a faux pas to make at FMQs... or was it? If Nicol Stephen has tippexed out the date then someone in his team knew that the rules were changed 10 days later... 'unintentionly' misleading parliament?
Oh dear, what a faux pas to make at FMQs... or was it? If Nicol Stephen has tippexed out the date then someone in his team knew that the rules were changed 10 days later... 'unintentionly' misleading parliament?
This letter was very specific and very targeted in its contents. It will be interesting to see exactly what the truth is behind it! A very nice windfall for Nicol. Will it mean sackings for NHS managers who try to subvert the figures?
I took your advice Brian and waited,well,well yes! indeed Ms Sturgeon has acted and Mr Stephens has now put his judgement on the line,i can hear the lib dem's sharpening their long knifes,if you think about it?all he did was give the dog the bone today,cant wait till the next FMQ's
oh dear looks like all the SNP cheerleaders on here have got themselves in a right old fankle about their party getting caughtout. If in doubt shoot the messenger is it?
Is the best that the Libdems can do?
Yet again we see how useless they are. A query to Sturgeon would have solved this quickly and simply. No, Nicol Stephen has to try and make an issue out of it. Not only does he get the date of the new rules wrong, he draws attention to his incompetence by raising at FMQs. Keep it up Nicol, if you are really lucky you might rival Wendy's level of incompetence. We see every week why the people of Scotland got rid of these numpties of the last 'Executive'. Government is about competent leadership, take notes Nicol and Wendy, Salmond is showing it in spades
I'm appalled at Nicol Stephen's antics yet again in the Scottish Parliament today, during FMQs. He seems merely concerned to try and catch the SNP out, even if it means distorting the facts in the process. And he was proved wrong yet again, this time within a matter of hours, with Mr Munnoch's retraction. Has nobody ever told him to check his information before trying to make a national issue of an individual case.
I used to hold the LibDems in high esteem for a variety of reasons, not least their integrity and apparent genuine interest in the issues they raised. Nicol Stephen is an embarrassment to his party, and to the Scottish Parliament as a whole! Hopefully, he will now apologise for wasting everyone's time.
Did anybody watch the update on Reporting "Scotland"......Seems the Doctor involved has totally withdrawn the explanation made in his letter to the patient.....Numphty.
Still no doubt Brian will ignore that and both he and the 成人快手 will continue you give the Uriah Heep of Scottish politics, Nicole Stephens the oxygen of publicity.
A disgusting display of petty showmanship by Nicol Stephen introducing this at FMQs as thought there were no way it could be dealt with by referring it to Nicola Sturgeon.
Yes this letter deserves attention but he should have got his facts in order first.
hi brian, maybe i'm missing the point here but surely the problem is with the health board. have they not quite worked out that the days of hide the patient are over? maybe nicol the "nose" is employing the politicians greatest asset the short memory!!by the way so much for the electoral commision releasing the result of there big look in the long grass.can i guess they might do this on monday so that those nice people in the sunday's might forget all about it? cheers.
Yet again one of the failed leaders of the old coallition that thought it was running Scotland has shown himself up as an incometent mischief maker with a tendency to shot holes in his feet.
No doubt many are noticing a difference between the SNP led Government and the coallition Executive when faced with something that is being mismanaged, or badly handled... they get on the 'phone to the public servants involved and fix it there and then. In other words they "Govern" unlike the LibDums and their Labourios partners who would have set up a committee of inquiry packed with their mates, followed by a convention to gravy train off, subsequently judicially reviewed and a result announced 2 years later.
This government is showing how to run a country rather than run it down. Well done.
You have to feel sorry for Nicol Stephen. He's set himself a target too you know........to try and get re-elected for Aberdeen South at the next Holyrood Election.
So far he's not doing too well is he?
Though I have noticed that his party, after initially supporting Trump Bashing, Eco-Warrior, Councillor Martin Ford, are now trying to quietly dump him. It's a start.......horses and stable doors anyone??
I wonder if it will be enough given that the SNP only need a swing of 4.6% to unseat him?.......Mmmmm.
A Lib Dem intentionally misleading parliament. Well I never. ;-)
I'm still waiting for the investigation in to Stephen's dodgy dealing over the Aberdeen bypass.
You have to feel sorry for Nicol Stephen. He's set himself a target too you know........to try and get re-elected for Aberdeen South at the next Holyrood Election.
So far he's not doing too well is he?
Though I have noticed that his party, after initially supporting Trump Bashing, Eco-Warrior, Councillor Martin Ford, are now trying to quietly dump him. It's a start.......horses and stable doors anyone??
I wonder if it will be enough given that the SNP only need a swing of 4.6% to unseat him?.......Mmmmm.
What i want to know is has Ms alexander been booted off the electoral commisons waiting list. I mean they are very busy with "patients" sorry members of parliaments (plural) at the moment. Perhaps Ms alexanders case is too complex for them to operate on.
No the Health Boards and their laundering of stats will not go away.
When questioned about the compilation of the broken appointments scandal at local surgery level never mind at health board levels, the methods used take no account of circumstances created by the system and staff who鈥檚 total interest is what happened in last nights 鈥渟oap鈥 or who they were out with last night.
The first thing that the health boards must sort out is the use of 21st century medicine and diagnosis and 18th century communications.
This I do know about, and from Ninewells; test equipment fitted for 24hours, removed on the 24th of November and to date the results of that test having seen the print out my self, they are still not available to my GP, they have been mislaid or lost within the system.
鈥淗ow much of human life is lost in waiting.鈥
Ralph Waldo Emerson
so how long did nicol stephen hold on to the letter and how long did it take nicola sturgeon to sort it. Now thats what i call responsive accountable govenment. well done nicola rasperries to nicol stephen for using the poor woman to score points instead of instantly helping her.
Well I think the waiting game won't end. Will it?
It appears that the sole purpose of this exercise was to try and put the boot in to the SNP government.
Do the Lib/Lab politicians not realise that they were voted in by the Scottish people to take Scotland forward and NOT to play puerile games?
Nicol Stepens scored an own goal yesterday.
First he sat on a letter thus wasting the patients time, then we discover that it was out of time with regards the to target setting, then we have a very overworked consultant apologising unreservedly(apparently the ONLY surgeon in the UK to offer this particular op.)
Will the Liberal leader apologise too?
Changing the date is misleading parliament - can I suggest a witchunt-style parliamentary investigation of Nicol Stephen of the type that have become so popular recently?
Im Inspired
Question to FM and 4 hours later a full answer. Problem solved and resolved. Clear statement that there will be no hiding. Great something everyone can enjoy, a bit of clarity.
It is a bit of a pity that the letter was used to try to stir things up in the new Scottish government but nobody is surprised at that.
It is no surprise that the Lib Dems got it wrong again with the date of the letter it refered to his own party's governance.
Congratulations Nicola on your transparency and efficient handling of the issue.
So, Sister Wendy has been told she was wrong to keep the 拢950 donation a secret. So says Holyrood's Standard's Watchdog. What will she do now???????? Show some integrity and resign?????? Don't hold your breath. She will cling on for as long as she can with those extra long finger nails which seem to grow much longer every day.
At least Peter Hain did eventually see the writing on the wall. Wendy is an embarrassment to Scotland.
So, Sister Wendy has been told she was wrong to keep the 拢950 donation a secret. So says Holyrood's Standard's Watchdog. What will she do now???????? Show some integrity and resign?????? Don't hold your breath. She will cling on for as long as she can with those extra long finger nails which seem to grow much longer every day.
At least Peter Hain did eventually see the writing on the wall. Wendy is an embarrassment to Scotland.
lets get real brian,are you trying
to justify the political posturing
of n stevens, he used the misfortune of patients for
his grandstanding, and hatrid of alex salmond,thats obvious,"lovely
man" and just shot holes in both feet
if he cared for other than himself
he would have given it to nicola to
be dealt with,instead he KEPT IT FOR A WEEK,just to"GET AT ALEX,
dont you just feel safe and looked
after,situation dealt with soonest,
well done new gov. s stevens hobble of now.