Home   News   Article

Eagle reflects on lessons from rural healthcare debate as ‘serious concerns’ remain





‘Serious concerns’ remain about the provision of healthcare in rural areas, an MSP has claimed.

Buckie-based Highlands and |slands Conservative MSP Tim Eagle, who is also the party’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, said that there are significant lessons to be learnt from the testimony of MSPs who contributed to a debate on rural health issues which took place in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, January 16.

Buckie-based Highlands and |slands Conservative MSP and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Tim Eagle. Picture: Daniel Forsyth
Buckie-based Highlands and |slands Conservative MSP and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Tim Eagle. Picture: Daniel Forsyth

Mr Eagle, who opened the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, is no stranger to the issue, with a family interest in rural health - his wife is a GP in Buckie - and having worked closely with health providers while serving as an elected member of Moray Council.

He said: “My own experience, and that of the very many people who have contacted me since I became an MSP, including doctors, consultants, midwives and nurses, have convinced me that there is a very serious problem with healthcare provision across rural Scotland.

“It was quite evident from the speeches of the MSPs who followed me in the debate that many of them share my concerns. We see it day-in, day-out, at surgeries and in our inboxes.

“The problem is that while it is easy to highlight the various problems with the service, it is less simple to come up with solutions, particularly if we revert to standard ways of doing things which may work fine in urban areas but aren’t flexible enough for rural Scotland.

“We need to better understand the issues facing health practitioners and why so few appear to even want to work in rural Scotland. That’s a massive problem and relates to failures in workforce planning and training provision going back years.

““And I am also very concerned that NHS staff bear the brunt of the frustrations of members of the public seeking treatment. That’s why smoke and mirrors from ministers on the problems facing the service are so unhelpful. We need transparency to aid understanding and find solutions.”

Mr Eagle went on to urge innovative thinking in order to tackle the many issues facing healthcare provision.

He added: “What I really hope is that my debate helps to trigger some creative thinking, encourage ministers and health boards to own up to the shortcomings in the service, and actually deliver tangible change for our communities.”


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More