Maternity

[grmacken]

Whats happening with NAG, I cant see any publicity in the forums about the leslie riddoch show going to wick on friday to do a show on the maternity situation, they will be wanting as many people as possable.

The show will be in the safeway car park on friday between 12 and 2.

NAG needs to get some balls and get fighting properly.

[Mr P Cannop]

message now posted on the NAG web site

[JAWS]

First I've heard of it too. Perhaps it's some sore of dreadful family secret not to be mentioned incase the neighbours find out! Oh, the shame if anybody found out!

I don't know who organised it, but come on, lets have some details please.

Who's there to stand up for Caithness? Who's going to be there to present the Health Boards Propeganda, sorry, Views?

Yesterday, unless I was dreaming, the Minister stated, in Parliament, that "Health Services should be provided as close to the public as possible".

Raigmore? Close? Not in my Universe.

[grmacken]

The Leslie Riddoch show is touring the highlands, I was at it the other day in sutherland and I only found out it was going to wick by looking at the bbc site, they contact people to orginise it about 2 weeks in advance, plenty of time local contacts to get some people ordingised.

[lynne duncan]

sorry to grmacken if it appears that NAG have not publicised that lesley riddock will be in wick tomorrow however NAG will be there as well as mothers who have had there children in the past month and so been "affected" by the lack of gynae support.I personally hope that you will come along and voice your support for the retention of the consultants at wick. Lynne Duncan NAG committee member

[Mr P Cannop]

hi Lynne Duncan

i have posted something about it about on the NAG web site

[L Mackenzie]

I am sorry grmacken feels the way he/she does. NAG had a piece in yesterdays Courier telling everyone about the Lesley Riddoch show. We let everyone know as soon as we had all the final details. If grmacken has any suggestions on how "NAG can show some balls and put up a fight" we will be quite happy to hear them.

L Mackenzie, NAG Committe member.

PS Was grmacken there on Saturday at out demo in Inverness?

[grmacken]

no, i wasnt but then again hardly anyone was, I was at the helmsdale gp protest through inverness and that had more people and more impact than that.

having a protest walking from the eastgate, across the river to the trust's offices is far better than hiding up at the hospital where no one will see you, you would get more people joining in for a start.

You should have it that there's free busses to inverness, protest at 1, 2-3 hours for women to shop and men to go to the pub and then home.

[L Mackenzie]

I am glad you had such success on your protest.

If you had looked at our pieces on Caithness.org, northaction.org and in the papers you woud have noticed that we did actually offer free buses from Thurso/Wick to Inverness and we also included a few hours for shopping.

I still await your suggestions on what NAG should be doing.

Perhaps you would be interested in the demo we are organising for Edinburgh next month. It is to take place on Thursday 17 June outside the Scottish Parliament. This has been advertised on Caithness.org, northaction.org and in the press.

[badger]

I was at Wick today having seen the announcement in the Courier, but must admit without that I would not have known about this event and the turnout was very disappointing. It was a good session though and allowed a few more people to tell their stories and particularly gave us a chance to have a go at NHS Highland representatives in person. Their complacancy is unbelievable. Were details issued too late for the previous week's Groat? I think it's a pity Frank Ward of the SSP seems to have hijacked so much of the protests, particularly the Inverness one. NAG should ensure party politics don't enter into this and I think many people would be put off if they felt the SSP was taking over. It would be good if our MSPs and MP were seen to be more active on our behalf. They may be beavering away in the background but that's not enough.

[grmacken]

If you involve party politics you just end up turning supporters away and if your group seems to be aligned to one party you can kiss goodbye to any support from MPs from other partys.

[lynne duncan]

Stop right now Politics should not and hopefully will never become an issue in this topic, frank is a committee member on this issue but the ssp do not have any say in what NAG does. NAG was set up by the public not any political party. It annoys me to hear people criticise NAG when we are trying hard to stop the NHS highland and the Scottish Executive from trying to inflict the downgrading of consultants at wick and any other changes that they wish. As L.MacKenzie says any help you can offer instead of just sitting there denigrating what we are trying to do would be far more appreciated.

THINK of the MOTHERS and the BABIES - and WIVES or GRANNIES who maybe need gynae help

[badger]

I quite agree - party politics have no part here and that is why someone who is the local representative of one party, and cannot seem to avoid references to his party even in the NAG context, should not be on the committee. It is unfortunate to say the least that other party representatives are not as active as we would like and we need all our local political representatives on our side but not, I think, as officials of NAG which is doing a fantastic job but should be seen to be completely politically impartial. Wouldn't it be great if we could get all our political representatives to unite on this issue and work together to lobby NHS Highland and Parliament - some hope!