Lay group members speak up for emergency care proposals -

Date: 09 September 2005

Members of the public and community groups who took part in the review of emergency and unscheduled care in Ayrshire and Arran have given their renewed support to the recommendations currently out for consultation.

Mr Brian Brown, from Kilwinning, was a member of the lay group involved in the review. His long-standing interest in the health service took on a fresh focus two years ago after he suffered a heart attack.

Mr Brown praised the decision-making process that led to his group endorsing the suite of recommendations currently out for public consultation.

He said: "My views changed after I had the chance to review all the information. At the very beginning I would like to have seen an enhanced status quo, with both Ayr and Crosshouse with emergency and enhanced services, but as time went on it became clear this would be impossible to fulfil.

"The only difference between the views of the whole group and those of the health professionals was that we felt there could also be an assessment unit at Ayr Hospital.

"However, having now had the chance to meet with the health professionals this week and listen to them, we now understand their point of view.

Nevertheless, we have been listened to and the NHS included our option in the consultation – the public should not believe that these recommendations were imposed on the lay group."

Mr Brown says all the members of the lay group took their role very seriously. Referring to the response the recommendations have received in some quarters, he added: "The public are not fools and the people who represent us should not insult our intelligence – we are real people with real views."

Mr Homer Fairley, of Troon, was a lay representative on the Diagnostic Services Group. He commented: "These proposed changes reflect the considered opinion of mixed groups of professional and lay persons.

"At regular meetings of the group the lay representatives were always included in the discussions and any comments were well considered. The professionals were always helpful by explaining medical terminology. The lay representatives were able to comment from well prepared papers issued in advance of the meetings. These papers covered all aspects of both the special area under consideration and the wider service in Ayrshire, Scotland and the UK. When I requested more information on issues I considered relevant I was quickly fully supplied with it. This included visits to the facilities under discussion."

Mr Fairley added: "The conclusion reached by my group reflected the combined views of the other groups and was reached after full consideration of the issues. The conclusion does not reflect an ‘ideal solution’ but is the best solution available, given the constraints which exist, and should take the NHS service in Ayrshire & Arran ahead into the future."

Mr Jim Gallacher, also of Troon, commented: "I have attended public meetings throughout north, east and south Ayrshire and have been involved as a lay representative. Consultation with the public has taken place at every possible level, where every person within Ayrshire has been given the opportunity to have their say in the provision of healthcare within the county.

"Meetings have also been undertaken throughout the past year by a multi-disciplinary team covering the entire spectrum of healthcare professionals and lay persons, resulting in what is being put forward today by NHS Ayrshire & Arran."

He added: "Although accident and emergency services as we know them may close at Ayr Hospital, what is being proposed in their place with centres at Girvan, Irvine, Cumnock, Ayr and Kilmarnock should be a more local and better service, serving more."

Mrs Catherine Collins, from Girvan, has a background in nursing and regularly attends healthcare meetings to find out the latest news and information.

She praised the process in which the lay group were involved, commenting: "The whole process was very thorough, and a lot of time was spent giving us the information and educating us. The team were very helpful and answered all of our questions. We felt able to ask any questions we wanted."

While she was not happy with the final recommendation and its impact on her own area, Girvan, she added: "I understand their decision to go with this option and the reasons behind it. It was about securing health services for the whole of Ayrshire and Arran - it couldn’t become personal. We were there to do the job we had volunteered for. The decision was taken from the point of view of the whole community and not from a personal one."

Mrs Collins hopes people will get involved in the consultation exercise: "People should be encouraged to look at how the NHS Board has taken the views of both the lay group and professional group on board with this consultation. While I personally hoped that the option to have assessment units on both sites would be the outcome, I think it is good that the public are being consulted on both options."

Mr Peter Neely, of Cumnock, says he got involved in the lay group because he wanted to make sure the people of Ayrshire and Arran have a good health service.

He commented: "The process was very thorough and we felt it was unbiased. Any information we asked for we got without any problems."

He echoed the experiences of some other members of the lay group, pointing out that he, too, had changed his views during the process: "Initially I thought that we needed to keep Ayr A&E department but now I understand and agree that it is not going to be viable to keep it open.

Crosshouse Hospital has more scope for the future and after going over all the facts and figures and reading all the documentation, I felt it was the better option.

"I think it was a fair, unbiased exercise and we were all surprised how close the lay group’s decision came to that of the professionals."

Mr Neely welcomed the chance to meet with health professionals earlier this week, where they discussed their concerns about an assessment unit at Ayr Hospital.

He commented: "After meeting with some of the professionals and putting our questions to them, we were happy with most of the answers."

He concluded: "I would like to see people support the recommendations because if they do not look at the options closely, we will all end up with a second class health service in the future."

A full copy of the Review of Services report on Unscheduled Care is available on our website, www.nhsayrshireandarran.com. You can also contact us with your views

• by completing the feedback form on the website
• by writing to Review of Services , FREEPOST, SCO6879, Boswell House, 10 Arthur Street, Ayr KA7 1BR
• by telephoning free on 0800 169 1441
• by emailing reviewofservices@aapct.scot.nhs.uk

We have also published a booklet, ‘Reviewing our services with you’, which gives examples of how other health board areas are offering different ways of providing emergency and unscheduled care services. This booklet is available on our public website, or by contacting any of the addresses above.

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