Borrowing Malcolm's name for this one as I'm ashamed to say I have never got round to registering with the Forum yet. Sorry - should put it right someday, but for some reason, our PC is always busy......
The Health Board ceased to be on the 31st March 2006. The first Health Board in Scottish history to be de-commisssioned, I believe.
All previous ones (only tiny ones) have been almalgamated whole into other Boards. Argyll & Clyde have been split into two and divided/ carved up (you choose the word). The rough split is: - Paisley, Dumbarton, Greenock etc go to Greater Glasgow and the rest goes to Highland. Of course none of the others had a debt in excess of £30million.
We have been assured that all services will continue as before, no matter whether they are acute or out-patient services WC1, and no we will not be expected to travel to Inverness for surgery or Consultant appointments.
Cross Health-board consultations have always been allowed and the only time we (GP surgeries) will have to ask for prior confirmation will be those specialist appointments that we have always had to get authorised before. We will just have to ask someone in Inverness now instead of someone in Paisley.
I don't think any patients will notice a difference, except for the usual expensive name changes to the 'new parent' Health Boards and all the corporate immage stuff - letter heads, uniforms, badges, Hospital and GP surgery signage etc. Most of the change will only be noticed by the likes of me, at the management end and I've already been inundated with paperwork from Highland advising me of who I now have to send claims, forms, signatures to.
Hope this info helps allay some of the worries.
Marion McDonald
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:05 pm