New broom is good news for Inverclyde
IN 2004, when Inverclyde Royal Hospital (IRH) was still under the jurisdiction of NHS Argyll and Clyde there were radical plans to downgrade the hospital to either an ‘ambulatory care’ facility or an ‘intermediate hospital’.
However, when Greater Glasgow and Clyde took responsibility for healthcare in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde in April 2006, they decided to cast a fresh eye over the way services are provided and came up with their own plans for the hospital.
The old plans would have meant that the hospital would have transferred all of its Accident and Emergency, inpatient and emergency care patients, totalling approximately 37,000 people, to the Royal Alexandria Hospital (RAH) in Paisley. Or alternatively, merely kept it a hospital for planned and some unplanned (urgent access) cases, with an estimated 27,000 other patients, including Accident and Emergency cases being transferred to the RAH.
If the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde proposals are sanctioned, then there would be no change whatsoever to Accident and Emergency, most emergency and planned inpatients (overnight) care, or planned daycase care and outpatient services at either the IRH or the RAH.
A team of four consultant urologists would be created under the new scheme, providing outpatient and daycase care at both hospitals with 24 hour cover at RAH. The vast majority of vascular patients would continue to be treated at IRH, although emergency and overnight planned surgery patients would be transferred to the Southern General Hospital, in Glasgow.
Other changes would include the possibility of some Ophthalmology, Dermatology and Ear, Nose and Throat cases being transferred to the Southern General Hospital where safe and sustainable access to expert care could be provided.
To summarise, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde believe that they can maintain Accident and Emergency services without change, retain the vast bulk of inpatient services without change and leave virtually all outpatient and daycase services untouched at both the IRH and the RAH. They have calculated that less than 500 patients from the IRH, and 900 from the RAH would be affected, compared to many thousands had the changes been implemented under NHS Argyll and Clyde.
They say the changes would offer certainty about the future of the hospitals for communities and staff, a sustainable basis to plan and develop services, an ongoing commitment from the NHS Board which will encourage staff to develop their careers, new and more flexible patterns of working that will benefit staff and patients and the retention of the vast majority of care at the hospitals, with 0.3percent of the total amount of patients being affected.
There have been various community meetings and patient focus groups arranged during January to enable everyone to air their views. Should you wish to attend any of these please call 0141 201 4957 for further information.
Ken Barr, Chairman of CATCHES (Cowal Against The Cuts in the Health Service) said: “These proposals are the best we could hope for. They are certainly a lot better than the ones that NHS Argyll and Clyde suggested back in 2004, when basically they wanted to turn it into a day hospital. It is, however, very important that as many people as possible turn up for the meetings, especially the one on the 16th, at the Tontine Hotel in Greenock.”
A copy of the consultation document outlining the proposals and background information is also available. This can also be obtained by calling the aforementioned telephone number, or by downloading it from the www.nhsggc.org./uk/southclyde website.
If you would like to put forward a formal response to the consultation you can write to John Hamilton, Head of Board Administration, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Dalian House, 350 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G3 8YX or e-mail southclyde@ggc.scot.nhs.uk before Monday February 2, 2007.


PAN FISH TO BE SOLD
PAN FISH SCOTLAND, Argyll’s major fish farming employer, is to be sold by its Norwegian parent company.
The move to sell the company, which employs around 170 people between its Cairndow processing plant and its 27 farming sites throughout Scotland, is part of a deal struck with the French regulators in order to gain approval for the company’s merger with Marine Harvest.
A statement said the decision was taken in light of some anti-trust concerns expressed by the French authorities. These related to the competitive situation created by the acquisition on the Scottish market for fresh farmed salmon. Pan Fish said that, while it does not agree with the arguments put forward by the French Ministry of the Economy, it offered to divest Pan Fish Scotland in the course of 2007, which the Ministry did accept.
The French Ministry of the Economy had objected to the merger claiming that it would allow Pan Fish to dominate the Scottish farmed salmon market, however, Chief Executive Atle Eide said: “The divestment will have a very limited effect on the group and the released capital will be used for debt reduction or invested for further growth in other attractive seafood activities and give Pan Fish a balanced market share in the various salmon producing regions.”
The Ministry has now authorised the acquisition and final approval from the UK authorities is expected this week.
Mr Eide was keen to outline that selling off Pan Fish would not mean an end to the company’s involvement in the Scottish salmon market. He said: “We will keep hold of the Scottish operations of Marine Harvest and Fjord Scotland and we hope to develop a new ownership of Pan Fish Scotland, and how this works out depends on whether we can find an independent owner to develop the company further, or an existing fish farming company to buy it.”
There has already been some interest from non-Scottish companies, although some of them do operate in Scotland.
Mr Eide believes the French view was based on the combination of a high market share of Scottish salmon and the fact that Pan Fish has a huge, value-added operation in France. He said that while Pan Fish disagreed strongly with the French stance, they could not fight it any longer.
“It was more important to close the deal to get the security into the organisation,” he said. “This decision for Scotland, if we look a little bit beyond Pan Fish, is an okay decision. We will have one more salmon farming company in Scotland, which is not too bad.”
One of the options currently being considered is that Pan Fish Scotland will run as a stand-alone operation with a separate listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange. A meeting was held with the management of Pan Fish Scotland last week, following the final conclusion of the talks with the French authorities. Mr Eide said he believes there is a good opportunity for the company to continue independently.
Mr Eide said they will work very closely with the management of Pan Fish Scotland over the next few months to find the best solution for the company.
“We will now organise Pan Fish Scotland - we will give it a new name, and take it a little bit out of Pan Fish so they are immediately operating as an independent company and then we will use the time necessary to find the best possible solution for everybody,” he said.
Highland Council’s vice-convener Michael Foxley has criticised the increasing globalisation of an industry once seen as a perfect adjunct to crofting. Commenting on the news, he said: “It is ironic that it took the French authorities to force Pan Fish to take any action at all, while the UK regulator approved it. It is unlikely that any independent Scottish company can buy out Pan Fish Scotland. If they float it on the Norwegian stock exchange, it will probably be taken over by another Norwegian company, or it could remain under the control of Pan Fish itself. I can’t imagine Norway allowing any Scottish company to have that kind of stranglehold on one of their main industries. This will result in more jobs going on the sea sites, and we will have to watch what happens to the processing facilities.”


“Summit meeting” on the future of Dunoon
A SUMMIT meeting of local businesses and interested parties is to take place in mid-January to explore the options for enhancing Dunoon’s image and promoting it as the ‘gateway’ to the National Park.
The meeting has been called by the Convener of the National Park, Mike Cantlay, and will take the form of a ‘working dinner’ at the Royal Marine Hotel in Hunter’s Quay.
The basis for discussion will be a report commissioned last year by the National Park Authority, Argyll and the Islands Enterprise, and Argyll and Bute Council.
The report, by Land Use Consultants outlines a strategic development framework and action plan for the town.
The primary aim of the plan is to identify what can be done to take advantage of Dunoon’s proximity to the National Park, and exploit the town’s perceived role as a gateway to it.
The town’s major failings are identified, principally the condition of the Queen’s Hall and the pier, as well as gap sites such as the Harmony site on the seafront. There is criticism of ‘infill developments’ which the report describes as ‘incongruous and unremarkable’.
The report urges that the town should ‘no longer turn its back on the waterfront or overlook its key developments or civic spaces. The town centre should be a place where - irrespective of the weather, visitors would feel welcome and would spend money.
There was also a need to develop a high-quality accommodation sector, which would require investment in ‘tired’ properties, as well as a new way of thinking in the part of the business community.
It points out that the area has superb landscapes, and it is important to capitalise on its special qualities. In that respect the National Park could help to unlock key visitor markets, which the area had previously underplayed.
The report also identifies the key role played by cultural heritage events in bringing visitors to the area and encouraging them to return. It also looks at the retail sector of Dunoon and says that there is potential to improve it ‘to enhance visitor experiences and support a diverse, independent shopping sector’. Retailers, it says, need to provide more flexible services for both visitors and locals so that speciality shopping becomes an integral part of the attraction of the area.
It raises concerns about the access to the area by public transport, highlighting concerns over lack of clarity in terms of timing and costs of provision. It also highlights the opportunity to provide a network of coastal access points for yachts and cruisers.
It recognises the current uncertainty over a key element of the perception of Dunoon as a Gateway to the National Park - the threat to the existing vehicle ferry service. It comments: “All of the actions identified within the plan need to be carefully positioned in relation to potential changes to ferry links to Dunoon.”
The event will be hosted by Doctor Mike Cantlay, Convener of the National Park, and Land Use Consultants, who created the report, will open the meeting with a presentation, following which there will be discussions on the best way forward,
It’s hope that the meeting will generate an appetite for change, and identify individuals who will help achieve it.


Onward Christian soldier!
THE relative idyll of life as a minister in a quiet Cowal parish has occupied the Reverend David Anderson for the past three years.
Not that it’s been a quiet life. Based in the manse in the grounds of the Matheson Church, David, his wife Sharon and their four children have become heavily involved in the life of the local community during their stay in Cowal.
David’s charge covers the parishes of Innellan, Toward and the High Kirk in Dunoon, and it’s fair to say that during his tenure he has proved a very popular minister.
But all that is set to change this year, as David’s career takes a new direction - for he is set to join the army as a padre.
David is Falkirk born and bred, and remains a supporter of the Bairns, Falkirk’s football team; its performance in the present season has, he says, cheered him up considerably.
He is a graduate of Paisley University, where he studied science and biology, before beginning a career in environmental services as a field biologist.
“I did it for nine years,” he recalls. “I really enjoyed it, for I travelled a great deal and one of the benefits of my work was that I met a lot of people, a part of the job that for me was a real bonus.
“However, I’d always felt drawn to the Church, I’d been heavily involved with church-related bodies and activities over the years, and had been active in organisations such as the Boys’ Brigade. As time went on I began to feel a great sense of calling.
“At the end of the nineties I was selected for the Ministry, and went to New College, Edinburgh in 1998, being ordained four years later.
“South East Cowal is my first charge, and I have really enjoyed my stay here, ministering to the three churches within the area, working at bringing them together and promoting a sense of fellowship among them.
“I’ll be sad to leave. Three years is a short time, but we have made many friends, and I sincerely hope these friendships will endure.
“However, I’m now 39, which is the cut-off for entering the army as a career chaplain. l’ve had a taste of it, albeit on a minor scale, as chaplain to the local Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Army Cadet Force, and I feel that this is a challenge that I must tackle.”
David and his wife Sharon have four children, the eldest of whom, Bethany, is at Edinburgh University, while 17-year-old Thomas is also hoping to go to university soon. The younger children are Emma 13, and Alexandra, aged nine.
“They’re all looking forward to the change,” said David.
Sharon has qualified as a primary school teacher and is currently working as a supply teacher at Kirn. Asked how he thought she would cope with the radical change in direction, David explained: “Sharon was brought up in a military environment. Her father was in the army, and she spent her early years in North Germany during the Cold War, so she’s probably best able to fit into our new lifestyle.”
David says that he had in the past considered the army as a career, but finally was persuaded by a presentation at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on the work of an army chaplain. “The chaplain giving the presentation was the Rev Dr Iain Barclay, who had been a minister at Tighnabruaich, Kames and Kilfinan,” David explained, and his account of what the post entailed persuaded me to make the change of career.”
There are approximately 160 padres in the army, but only two have been recruited from the Church of Scotland in the last five years.
After initial training at Amport House, David will go for further training and ‘square bashing’ at Sandhurst, where not even men of the cloth are spared the tender ministrations of drill sergeants.
“Chaplains are expected to do everything a soldier does,” he explained. “The only difference is that they are explicitly forbidden from carrying arms.”
The army operates an ‘All Souls Ministry’ and the Chaplain is there to provide spiritual, moral and pastoral support to soldiers and their families irrespective of their denomination or belief. However other faith groupings including Islam, Hindu, Sikh, Jew have associated religious personnel.
When his training is completed David, who will carry the rank of Captain, will be posted to the Palace Barracks, in Holywood, Northern Ireland, where he will join the Black Watch, the Third Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
“I think the most radical change for me will be the natuit of my parishioners,” he concluded. “Here in Cowal the average age is in the sixties, whereas I’ll be dealing with folks who will generally be in their twenties, and often in their teens.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” he concluded. “It will bring a whole new set of challenges.
“We will all miss Cowal, and I have no doubt we’ll be back.”
David takes his final service on Sunday; this is followed by a Presbytery Service of Introduction to the Royal Army Chaplains Department in the High Kirk on Saturday 20th January at 2pm to which all are welcome.