Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 121, 1st July 2002
SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
THE CHAMBER
Parliament begins its summer recess this week. Parliamentary
Business resumes in the week beginning 02/09/02.
IN COMMITTEE
Parliament is in recess.
SECTION 2 - NEWS
FREE PERSONAL CARE NOW ON
STREAM
Free personal and nursing care is now available to more than
70,000 eligible people, after new legislation came into force
today.
First Minister, Jack McConnell, and Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, will mark the start of the scheme by meeting elderly people and carers at a day centre in Glasgow.
Deputy Health Minister Frank McAveety said:
"We have delivered free personal care for older people and ensured that nursing care is finally free for all who need it. From frail, older people to those suffering from dementia or requiring long term care because of a stroke. This valuable care will be provided free in homes as well as at home. It will be based on an individual’s care needs and marks a huge step forward in fairer charging for care services."
DEAL SIGNED ON HCI PURCHASE
The Scottish Executive became the official owner of the HCI
Hospital in Clydebank at midnight on Friday, following the
signing of the £37.5 million purchase deal with former owners,
the Abu Dhabi Investment Company, earlier in the day.
The National Waiting Times Unit has also confirmed that the first patients from the NHS to be treated at the new NHS hospital will begin to arrive this week.
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said the completion of negotiations was "a good deal for the healthcare team whose jobs had been under threat, a good deal for the NHS, a good deal for patients, and a great deal for Scotland."
Mr Chisholm said:
"We can now start to engage formally with the healthcare staff employed at the hospital and begin the transformation of the facility from private hospital to national waiting times centre. I want to warmly welcome those staff into the NHS family.
"But we will not be standing still while our plans take shape. The National Waiting Times Unit has been working behind the scenes to ensure that we start to make the most effective use possible of the hospital for the NHS - as quickly as possible. They inform me today that the first NHS patients to be treated in the new NHS hospital at Clydebank will arrive for procedures from Tuesday onwards - including patients who have experienced long waits for major procedures like heart surgery and knee replacements."
The Waiting Times Unit has arranged for long-waiters from a range of NHS Boards across Scotland to begin sending patients to the new national waiting times centre next week for:
SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS
Parliament is in recess.
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