I won't rest until we get our share

SOME people don't approve, but as they mainly live west of Harthill, I can understand their chagrin. John Swinney, the Finance Minister, has given me, and Edinburgh City Council, an undertaking that, following a survey conducted jointly with the council, a Capital City Supplement will be paid to cover the city's additional, unique, contribution to the Scottish economy.

But it shouldn't be inferred that I'm so grateful for this agreement to do the right thing that I'll rest on my oars and go with the flow. Not while I think there may be a bit of slack round the edges of the Finance Minister's spending plans that could be used to improve NHS projects and services in Lothians, I won't.

The health boards in Scotland are funded according to a formula devised and partially introduced in 2000, the Arbuthnott Formula, for calculating each board's share of the NHS kitty.

The Lothians was a big loser. I chided the Health Minister at the time for overlooking the special factor in the east – population growth – while singling out Glasgow for extra NHS spending because it was still the worst – but diminishing – Scottish city for levels of poverty and shortened life expectancy.

Over the years since, Lothian health board has been underpaid to the tune of £11 million per annum. During this period, NHS Lothian has managed to balance its budget – no mean achievement when even more pressures on the system were created due to the arrival of thousands more people from Eastern Europe than anyone had anticipated.

Welcome as the economic migrants are, their numbers do stretch our public services in some easily identifiable areas.

Medical and nursing staff are run off their feet trying to maintain the standards of the old Simpson in a maternity unit with fewer beds and loads more women having babies. These babies born in Scotland may grow up bilingual, and hopefully will put down roots in the country of their birth. But when their mothers are in labour, their mother tongue, Scots, Polish, Ukrainian, etc, is often as much as they can focus on. The result can disrupt efficiency, and the support available.

Some of the emigrants act as translators in the labour ward, but more could be accommodated. Also, a considerable number of migrants are working in Lothian hospitals.

Other departments are also stretched to the limit, A&E being the most obvious. When people move here from Poland, or the Baltic states, particularly if they're young, free and footloose with no intention of settling here, getting themselves accepted on to a GP's list is not a priority. Probably for the vast majority of these transient workers, this doesn't cause them any difficulties. But it can cause difficulty for local hospitals when they pitch up at A&E with complaints or injuries that would normally be dealt with by a GP.

The pressures I've described don't apply to NHS Lothian alone, but they are more pronounced here because the greater number of overseas migrants swell the numbers of people moving here from other parts of the UK.

The situation isn't static, numbers of migrants are growing and the Health Secretary says it'll take years to phase in the new, fairer allocation of NHS cash. That's why I'll pursue to the last gasp my request to John Swinney to provide gap-funding for NHS Lothian for year 2008/9. By accident or design, this area has been short-changed. It only seems fair to give the health board something on account until its allocation is sorted out.


Welcome back Terry

I THINK it's great that Terry Butcher is going to assist George Burley's efforts to qualify Scotland for a place in the World Cup Finals. The appointment of an English internationalist makes the point about the continuing social union of the UK better than a dozen dissertations from discredited politicians.

Terry's move back to Scotland, and one of the most nationalist (with a small "n" ) jobs north of the Tweed, is a prototype for the situation that would exist following Scotland becoming independent.

With independence, nothing would change as regards living and working in each other's country. Sure, if independence were to be established next week, with oil the price it is, Scotland's new assistant coach would probably find a difference in taxation, prices and salaries between Scotland and England . . . like the other oil producing countries we'd be quids in.


A grand old tune

IF there's a Grandpa of the Year competition, I'm entering my fellow Hibs season ticket holder. On Saturday, my bad leg and I wimped out of going to Murrayfield and Easter Road in favour of watching Yves Makalamby have his best game yet from the comfort of my sofa.

Grandpa, meantime, took four grandchildren to watch France's revenge for Waterloo.

Grandson no.1, the PE student, didn't think much of the Scottish team's performance, but thoroughly enjoyed the French terracing band seated near them.

After joining in the rousing rendition of the French national anthem, he was surprised when the Frenchwoman next to him told him that Flower of Scotland was the best anthem in the Six Nations competition.