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Back to the floor
27/09/2012
Scotland’s Health Secretary is set to go ‘back to the floor’ and learn about how care is delivered first hand.
Alex Neil confirmed his plans to nurses at the UNISON Scotland nursing conference in Glasgow today.
The programme will comprise of a series of visits to various areas of health care – from care workers, ambulance staff, ward nurses and care of the elderly – and will start to take place by the end of the year.
Mr Neil also stated his commitment to maintaining no compulsory redundancies in the NHS.
Speaking at the confernece Mr Neil said:
"Our NHS nurses do a brilliant job and you should be rightly proud that Scottish patients continue to report excellent experiences in our hospitals.
"As we move to integrate health and social care the way people are treated in Scotland is starting to change. Hospital stays are shorter than ever before and more people are being treated in the community, by more nurses based in the community.
"The need for us all to work together in new and innovative ways has never been greater.
"I want to speak to the people directly delivering care. That’s why I’m rolling up my sleeves and taking the time to get the views of our NHS staff first hand.
"I recognise that in any process of change there will be concerns for nurses who are directly involved, so it is vitally important that all NHS staff, with all their experience and expertise, are directly involved in changing how we work.
"I am absolutely clear that what we must do better is to listen to the people delivering healthcare services across NHS Scotland. That is why I am announcing today my personal commitment to talk to practitioners on the ground about their experiences of providing patient care."