LONG before devolution and the pandemic, there was a bed shortage in Scotland’s hospitals. It was caused in the early 1990s by Westminster bean-counters, who found an over-provision of hospital numbers in Scotland, on an English population comparison basis, and that there was also a 20% bed overcapacity in most of those hospitals. A fine safety buffer, one might have said.
READ MORE: Glasgow hospitals announce end of social distancing rules
Geography and population demographics were ignored. So this seeming overcapacity was addressed by Westminster to save NHS money, and wards were closed to cure the bed situation. Various other facilities – notably maternity hospitals in the Highlands – were also closed.
Now, with the residual health damage of Covid still with us, our hospitals are permanently full. One hopes this situation could be sensibly reversed in an independent Scotland.
Malcolm Parkin
Kinross
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here