Latest news with #TheStooshie
Press and Journal
10-05-2025
- Health
- Press and Journal
Inverness doctor lifts lid on NHS struggles for patients and staff
A leading Highland doctor says patients used to get a better deal on an NHS which needs urgent action to avoid a downward spiral. Inverness GP Dr Iain Kennedy spoke out after the P&J revealed the findings of a survey across the north and north-east. He says our findings raise alarm about 'sleepwalking' into a two-tier service where people spend thousands going private to beat queues. And he claims rural access in places such as the Highlands where he works need much better access for rural patients. 'The NHS used to be the place in the world people wanted to work,' he said. 'Now I don't think any of us, me and my colleagues, are as proud as we used to be. 'That's not to say patients aren't getting good care – they are. 'When they access healthcare they are delighted with the care they receive.' Dr Kennedy is the chairman of the British Medical Association's Scottish council. He hears from medical professionals across the country sounding the alarm. The GP outlined his thoughts in a full interview on the P&J's weekly podcast, The Stooshie. It's not about quality, it's about access, he says. And while no one would expect a hospital in every village, some distances appear shocking. One respondent to our survey talked about driving more than 100 miles for a baby scan. We reported recently that the only vascular surgeon was leaving Raigmore in Inverness. Dr Kennedy says some people with breast lumps may have to go to Forth Valley, which covers Stirling and Falkirk. 'The mantra has been about care closer to home,' he says. 'But at the same time, we're now moving to an expectation patients will travel. 'The noises I hear from government and from health boards is the public are quite happy to travel. I'm not convinced of that myself.' He adds: 'We know the remote and rural areas of Scotland are the most difficult to provide healthcare to, and things have got worse.' With all that pressure on staff, GPs are struggling to fill the demand. 'Being a GP is a fantastic job,' he says. 'But it's become too difficult.' On Tuesday, First Minister John Swinney set out a number of pledges to improve the NHS including more GP appointments. His renewed 'programme for government' promises a stronger NHS which will make it 'easier' for people to get the care they need, when they need it. Concerns about long waits were raised in our survey by people who felt they had no choice but to pay for private operations. We spoke to one Culloden gran who spent £17,000 for an operation after getting nowhere near an NHS waiting list. 'I think it's embarrassing and shameful,' Dr Kennedy told us. 'We have an NHS which is free at the point of need and delivery. That's what the public has been led to believe and clearly it's not happening. 'We have sleep-walked into a two tier service for people who can afford to pay. It's not been planned, or at least I don't think it has. 'We want an NHS that is free because we know the most needy suffer.' The next Scottish Parliament election is in May next year. Dr Kennedy says politicians need to have honest answers. 'Things are getting worse, they're not getting better, and we need to see some hope for the future,' he says. Listen to the full interview on the Stooshie podcast online here.
Press and Journal
30-04-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen jobs warning as anger grows at Grangemouth refinery closure
The closure of Grangemouth signals a warning for industrial jobs across the oil and gas heartlands of Aberdeen, according to worried union leaders. Roz Foyer, general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, outlined concerns about the knock-impact of refinery closure and the need for an urgent industrial strategy to save jobs. 'For us, Grangemouth was the test of a 'just transition',' she told the P&J's politics podcast, The Stooshie, published on Wednesday. The long-promised 'just transition' refers to government promises to ease the move from oil and gas-reliant jobs to greener energy. Ms Foyer said politicians need to step up efforts or risk livelihoods after a 'valiant' campaign by the Unite union, which offered cheaper solutions for Scotland's last refinery. 'What we've seen is our governments' utter failure, at UK and Scottish level, to keep that site open,' she added. 'If that's their idea of a just transition, our movement has grave concerns about the whole of oil and gas, and that's an awful position to be in.' Ms Foyer found positives in the Labour government's GB Energy utility investment project, but her confidence is 'at a low ebb'. Petroineos said in September that refining activities at Grangemouth would end in 2025. In recent months, hundreds of workers have taken voluntary redundancy while a number of compulsory redundancies have been made. A significant report commissioned by the Scottish and UK governments, known as Project Willow, aimed to chart a future for the site in low-carbon energy. But the report said this would require around £3.5 billion of private investment. Petroineos has said the refinery is loss-making and has rejected claims from unions that the site could easily transition into a hub for producing sustainable aviation fuel. On Tuesday, First Minister John Swinney said the closure was a sad day for Scotland. 'The Scottish Government will work to secure a future for the Grangemouth community and agreement to the Acorn Carbon Capture project is essential,' he added. Brian Leishman, the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said Scotland is the 'victim of industrial vandalism'. Mr Leishman told the Commons: 'I don't want anyone in this chamber to dare mention a 'just transition', because we all know that the Conservatives when in power and the SNP currently in Holyrood did nothing to avert this catastrophic decision happening.' Listen to the full 20-minute interview on The Stooshie.
