NHS Lothian Paediatric Services Review Expected After Holyrood Election
The findings of an independent review into children's health care in Lothian will not be published until after May's Scottish Parliament election, it has emerged.
NHS Lothian commissioned an expert review of paediatric services after staffing and recruitment problems at St John's Hospital in Livingston, West Lothian.
The hospital's children's ward closed to inpatients for six weeks over the summer after the health board was unable to fill medical and specialist nursing posts.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health will look at children's services at St John's and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, and recommend a safe, effective and sustainable'' way forward.
NHS Lothian medical director Dr David Farquharson said: In discussion with them about realistic timescales, we recognised it would not be possible for the report to be completed, considered and published before Scottish Parliament is dissolved on March 23 when we enter the pre-election period.
As a result, the report will be formally presented at the NHS Lothian public board meeting in early June.
We cannot pre-empt what the report will say, however we recognise the potentially politically contentious nature of this issue.
For this reason, we have taken the responsible decision of organising a meeting to allow board members to review and absorb the findings of the report and consider the next steps in advance of the June board meeting but after the pre-election period is complete.''
Opposition parties branded the move outrageous'' and accused the SNP government of manipulating the timing of the publication.
The constituencies of Education Secretary Angela Constance and Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop are served by St John's.
Lothian Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: 'This delay stinks. The review of paediatrics was to report before the end of the financial year but now we are told it is being delayed because of the Scottish elections and that it won't report until June a month after people have cast their votes.
This is an outrageous situation that looks very much as if this review has been politically manipulated by ministers and the health board to hide what may come from this review from the voters.
The people in West Lothian should be able to make an informed choice at the next election and our local SNP representatives should be judged on their record, and that of the government they support.''
Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said: Instead of sitting on this until after the election, the SNP should come clean and tell the people of West Lothian exactly what it intends to do with an extremely valued and crucial local facility.''
Dr Farquharson emphasised it would be highly inappropriate'' to speculate on the outcome of the review, which is yet to officially begin its work.
A new £150 million children's hospital is expected to open in Edinburgh in autumn 2017.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also pledged an extra £200 million to create a new network of elective treatment centres if the SNP is voted into government for a third time on May 5, including one in Livingston.