Press release: Confederation calls for open minds and imagination at health debate

12 Apr 2005

The Scottish NHS Confederation has called on all those interested in the future of  Scotland's  health services to open their minds and imaginations about what services will actually look like in the years to come. 

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament chamber at the Health Committee's public debate on the future of the health service in Scotland, the Confederation's Policy Manager Susan Aitken said: "All of us who are interested in the future of Scotland's health services, who want to see our NHS deliver the highest possible quality of safe and effective care to the whole population, have to open our minds and our imaginations about what our services will actually look like in years to come - the shapes and forms that they will take and the different points at which patients and communities will interact with them."

"The future depends on us all working towards a vision of a health service where fewer and fewer of us need to be treated in large acute hospitals, where the range of healthcare settings is wider, and all the technologies available are used to meet the needs of the patients in the most convenient and appropriate ways."

She concluded: "The shape of services and the way in which they are delivered will undoubtedly look different, but just because a service has changed does not mean it is a lesser service. Different does not mean downgraded. Politicians and the media should be more careful about the language they use when talking about service changes and about the different roles of NHS staff."

Ends

Notes for editors

The Scottish NHS Confederation is an independent membership body representing the majority of Scotland's NHS boards and special health boards. We are committed to improving health policy and practice.

Contact details

For further information contact:  Donald Crichton on 01786 434 943 or 07775582123

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