Vote For a Healthy Democracy

Strathaven based MSP, Linda Fabiani, has welcomed the backing of parliament for proposals that would allow members of the public to stand for election to health boards.

Speaking after the debate on the Health Boards (Membership and Elections) (Scotland) Bill, Ms Fabiani said:

“We know that the NHS means a lot to people all over the country and we have in East Kilbride and Lanarkshire saw strong reactions from our own local community when proposals where made that threatened the future of local A&E units.

“We believe there is a desire for NHS Boards to be democratically accountable and for representation to be available to members of the public so that public concerns and opinions have a more prominent place in the delivery of health services.”

The Health Boards (Membership and Elections) (Scotland) Bill was published in June, with the aim of re-energising public engagement in the health service.

The Bill, if passed, will ensure that:

* Elected members – including local authority representatives and
those directly elected by the public – will form a majority of health board members. A chair and other members will be appointed by Ministers, as at present.

* Pilot elections will be held and independently evaluated before
any decision on further rollout is taken by Parliament.

* Elections will be on a proportional representation (Single
Transferable Vote) basis. A single ward will cover the whole health board area.

* The voting age in health board elections will be lowered to 16.