Plan to manage Western Isles NHS with Inverness 3/7/08
It is feared that Western Isles NHS Board may end up being run from Inverness it is reported.
Highland Health Board will share senior managers with the isles health board under new partnership plans being drawn up.
Strategic planning, finance and staffing functions could come under a twinning arrangement with Highland to achieve efficiencies and savings.
There are fears that this would eventually led to top jobs and decision-making being based in Inverness rather that the Western Isles.
An element of devolved management allows the government to claim that Western Isles NHS would still be independent.
The move is likely to be met with scepticism by island health workers. The local board has experienced outside management control when the previous administration flew in a hit squad to take control after the Manson regime. Edinburgh-based officials continued to maintain a senior role in the health board.
The threat to local independence comes from any twinning arrangement and managers responsible for both boards electing to be based in the Highland capital.
Health workers and unions will be concerned over the prospect of remote control of the isles' health board's function.
In the recent past there was an outcry of top bosses commuting from the mainland to their desks in Stornoway. Now the Scottish Government could go further if it legitimises a set-up leading to senior managers being based in Inverness and visiting the islands when required.
Under the plans Shetland and Orkney could be twinned with Aberdeen-based Grampian NHS.
