Hospitals Need More Capacity

That the Parliament expresses concern that Wishaw General Hospital was forced to close to accident and emergency admissions due to lack of capacity and that neighbouring hospitals were placed under increased pressure; notes that other NHS board areas are also at full capacity, often causing long waits on trolleys and multiple transfers between departments for some patients; believes that, with an increasing elderly, dependent and sick population, NHS Lanarkshire’s plans to close emergency services and acute admissions at Monklands Hospital are inherently flawed, when experience demonstrates that an increase in capacity is needed, not a decrease; further believes that the burden of servicing two major PFI projects at a cost of £42.7 million in 2006-07, the second biggest spend on PFI in Scotland, compromises NHS Lanarkshire’s ability to organise services in the interests of patients and communities, and considers that the lack of capacity is compromising quality of care for patients and that a proper needs assessment of capacity and the resources to deliver that capacity is urgently required.