Waiting Times

I listened to First Minister's Questions (FMQs) in the Scottish Parliament last week.

The Labour opposition leader - Johann Lamont - raised a fair point about the increased number of people who have to wait more than 4 hours to be seen at their local hospital's Accident & Emergency Department - which has doubled or even trebled in certain parts of the country.

Apparently Johann discovered these 'waiting times' statistics through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Scotland's health boards - whose job it is to manage such services and deal with any problems or complaints.

Now Alex Salmond had an answer for Johann, but that's not the point of this post - the point is to ask Johann what she would have thought if the health board in question refused to publish the information requested?

I suspect Johann would have been appalled - and I'm pretty certain she would have been making her displeasure known from the rooftops - as well as appealing to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) to adjudicate on the dispute and force the health board to spill the beans.

But imagine the health board refused to abide by the independent decision of the Scottish Information Commissioner - imagine the health board appealed the case (wasting oodles of public money) to the highest civil court in Scotland, the Court of Session.

I'm pretty sure that, by this time, Johann would have been fit to be tied up - and I'll bet the health board would have been given a real working over in the press and media - though I'm not finished yet.

Because say the health board lost its appeal to the Court of Session and that three senior Scottish judges threw out their case - yet still the health board refused to abide by the court's ruling that the information Johann had asked for - ought to be published in the public interest.

Let's say the health board decided to waste even more time and public money by submitting a further appeal to the UK Supreme Court - what do you think Johann would have to say?

Well I can't speak for Johann, obviously, but I'm pretty sure she would be fighting mad and I imagine Johann would be prepared to denounce the health board in the strongest possible terms - as a complete disgrace and embarrassment to Scotland's NHS.

Now this is exactly what has been happening in South Lanarkshire Council for the past three years - a big Labour-led council in the heart of Scotland - yet what have we heard from Johann?

Precisely nothing - not a peep.

Which is not just disappointing - but hypocritical as well.

Because it gives the distinct impression that Labour's Scottish leader is all in favour of Freedom of Information except when it comes to Labour's backyard - and that's what I would characterise as a lack of leadership.