NHS leaders and the Peebles Show

 I write this fresh from another successful Peebles Show. Nether Horsburgh at Cardrona has become a fantastic home for it. A day like that takes a lot of work from a lot of volunteers, and congratulations to everyone who puts it together.  

The SNP stall was busy from early on, with plenty of people stopping by for a chat.

Health was a key focus of my meetings last week.

On Monday I visited the ambulance station in Peebles and met the regional leaders for the East of Scotland and the Borders, along with some of the local staff who deliver the service here and across the region.

Thanks to the teams for all they do for people here.

Around half of the emergency calls they take now do not end with someone going to hospital.  A clinician can assess and resolve a call over the phone, or a crew can treat and refer at the scene.  The aim is to get the patient to the right place first time.

There is also a lot more to the service than the emergencies.  

The Scheduled Care Service, which most of us still know as patient transport, takes people to and from planned appointments and moves patients between hospitals, and that is a large part of the job.  

We talked too about staffing, and about keeping crews safe and supported at work.

On Thursday I met the chief executive and the chair of NHS Borders, and had a formal visit to the Borders General.  A lot is going well.  

Long waits for cancer treatment have halved, and by March 98 per cent of MRI and CT scans were being done within six weeks, the best performance in Scotland.  I raised several constituency cases with them, along with the pressure on adult mental health services and support for neurodivergence, where there is a lot more work to do.We also discussed health provision in Tweeddale and the central Borders, and more flexible models such as hospital at home, pharmacy first and local service hubs. I will report back as that develops.

On Friday I met residents at Dovecot Court in Peebles for a wide ranging discussion, with a couple of things to follow up. My thanks for the invitation.