'Give a dog a bad name and hang it' is a time honoured political stratagem. You have to do something unpleasant,like close a hospital or a school. You know there is going to be a stushie if you attempt it straightaway. So what do you do? You go for the long game. Let the place run down, send the best staff elsewhere and when it has gained itself a bad name, close it.
That is, I'm afraid, the long and the short of the
C-Difficile crisis unfolding at the Vale of Leven hospital . The Vale's problems, on the face of it, are very similar to other hospitals. Lack of space, beds too close together, a high turnover of patients; you could be talking about any hospital in Scotland. The key difference, however, is that the Vale of Leven has been in limbo for ten years over its future. This means that noone is going to stop there for long, because their future is uncertain; you come to rely heavily on temporary staff and you have difficulty providing leadership, because there is no continuity and no loyalty. It is of little comfort to the relatives of those who died, but I am pleased to note that Nicola Sturgeon has recognised this as the main problem. What is needed now, is a clear decision about the Vale. What is also needed is a firm taking to task of the health board, who were warned about the situation, but let it run. It is time for the politics to end and for the Vale to be let out of limbo. Lives depend on it.
