– in the Scottish Parliament at on 12 August 2020.
Angela Constance
Scottish National Party
I have some great news today—NHS Lothian has announced that it is going to reopen the children’s ward at St John’s hospital on a 24/7 basis come October. I am grateful to the health secretary, national health service staff and everyone who has worked with local families.
Will the First Minister pay tribute to West Lothian parents for their tenacity in campaigning hard for this much-loved service, but also for doing so positively to build the strongest case for this much-needed service? Can we now look forward to stability and security for our children’s ward?
Nicola Sturgeon
Scottish National Party
I am absolutely delighted to welcome NHS Lothian’s decision to reinstate the paediatric in-patient service at St John’s on a 24/7 basis from 19 October. It has undertaken considerable recruitment efforts to ensure that the service can safely be resumed on a 24/7 basis. I hope that everybody will agree that patient safety must always be the paramount concern, particularly when it is the health and care of children that is at stake.
I absolutely pay tribute to West Lothian parents who have campaigned to have the full service reinstated. They have, I think, been excellent in making the case on behalf of their children and their communities. The Government has always wanted to get to this position, but we and NHS Lothian had to ensure that it was done safely. This is a really positive day for St John’s and for West Lothian.
Finally, I pay tribute as well to Angela Constance, who has assiduously stood up for her constituents on this really important issue.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
