Healthy Living

2nd half of this week was pretty much dominated by Health related activity. Wednesday saw a visit to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to look round the A&E department and their impressive plans for improving and upgrading some areas to cope with increasing demand. Also got a wee insight into the alterations that will be required to facilitate the construction of the new Sick Kids adjacent to the existing complex. This was followed by a meeting NHS Lothian's Finance Committee and then a meeting of the Trustees of the Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation (the charitable arm of NHS Lothian). 

Thursday afternoon saw me jumping on a 38 down to the Western where there was a seminar on "person centred care". A great deal of audience participation was required and it was encouraging to see Council and Health colleagues exchanging ideas and the boundaries between the two becoming increasingly blurred. A good sign. 

Yesterday was the latest meeting of our shadow Health and Social Care Partnership. Quite a few strands of work being developed and beginning to look more meaningful and well formed. We also agreed to invite a trade union representative from the Council to join the partnership to match the NHS arrangement where "partnership" (TU) reps are part of the decision making at all levels within the NHS. I could be wrong but I think its the first time we, as a Council, have formally included trade union colleagues as part of the decision making process.