Another Community Perspective on the New University Hospital Monklands

Posted: October 31, 2024
Jan Taylor, Community Representative for the New University Hospital Monklands Project
Jan Taylor, Community Representative for the New University Hospital Monklands Project

(Pictured) Jan Taylor, Chair of Camglen Health & Social Care Forum and Vice-Chair of South Lanarkshire Health & Social Care Forum.

Jan Taylor lives in Cambuslang. She’s helping with plans for the new University Hospital Monklands because she knows it will play a key role in the lives of her fellow South Lanarkshire residents as well as those in North Lanarkshire.

I have been involved in community work for 30 years, as a resident, a volunteer and an employee, and I currently work for the anchor organisation Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust, based in Camglen (Cambuslang & Rutherglen).

As Chair of Camglen Health & Social Care Forum and Vice-Chair of South Lanarkshire Health & Social Care Forum, I’m delighted to be a member of the Monklands Engagement Forum (MEF), which advises the Monklands Replacement Project on how it involves the public.

People in South Lanarkshire may think a state-of-the-art new hospital in Airdrie isn’t relevant to their healthcare needs, but we’ve been spreading the message that the new Monklands, like the existing hospital, will treat patients from across Lanarkshire in its specialist services: cancer care; ear, nose & throat surgery; infectious disease medicine; the Lanarkshire Beatson radiotherapy centre; renal (kidney) medicine; and urology surgery. It will also be home to all of Lanarkshire’s planned inpatient orthopaedic surgery, which includes ops like hip and knee replacements.

So we folk in the South will more than likely find ourselves stepping through the doors of Scotland’s most advanced hospital after it opens on the Wester Moffat site around 2031. Because of that we’re very keen to get the message to as many people as possible in our area that these vital planned care services will be available to them at Monklands, and they will receive the best treatment in these “centres of excellence.”

I’ve been involved with the MEF from the outset, attending meetings, sharing Snapshot Reports with our locality group and ensuring the information is cascaded to local people. We’re keeping them up to date on the progress of the new hospital and keeping conversations at the forefront, where possible, to allow us to gather the thoughts of local residents and feed these back to the MEF. The project’s media releases and social media have played a massive part in disseminating the information, allowing Camglen Health & Social Care Forum to keep local people up to date with developments. This is very important as it allows clarity on the plans.

While most (if not all) residents in this neck of the woods are delighted that such a modern hospital will be available for our planned care, the issue of travel is a vital factor. Improvements to public transport are part of the overall project. The team have stressed from the start they have a duty to ensure that bus services to the new location will be as good as, or better than, those to the current hospital site.

Some residents have nothing but praise for the care provided at the current University Hospital Monklands, with one telling us: ‘It was a hassle getting to Monklands and I had to rely on friends/family to drive me there, but the treatment I received following a cancer diagnosis was second to none and I am so glad I went there.’

It’s been an absolute pleasure to be able to contribute to the development of the hospital, representing the third sector and local people, as well as being in a position to feed back thoughts, ideas and opinions from members of the community who otherwise might not have the opportunity.

Personally and professionally, I’m delighted to have been involved in this group – the progress achieved by all involved has been marvellous. The new hospital will be an amazing asset for NHS Lanarkshire, those who work there and to all who use it – wherever they come from across Lanarkshire.

 

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