Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has said that the Scottish Health Council (SHC) and the Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Health, Joe Fitzpatrick, have ‘totally missed the point’ about calling in the Uist dental decision.
Mrs Grant said “I contacted both organisations on 12 November asking them to now call in the decision to centralise dental services in Uist.
“Had the IJB taken the decision the Scottish Health Council would not have had the power to call it in as there is a loophole in legislation which prevents the SHC from calling in a decision made by an IJB. This decision however was eventually taken by NHS Western Isles and the Comhairle so I have asked that the SHC now calls it in as they do have the power to scrutinise decisions made by health boards.
Mrs Grant continued “Taking local services out of communities is to be avoided at all cost and I will try, yet again, to have this damaging decision reversed.”