Discontent in the NHS

It is not uncommon for the NHS to be accused of having a poor track record on communications, internally or in relation to the outside world. An impression persists of decisions being taken at the centre and passed along the line to be implemented. Whether the topic is waiting-time targets (when the goals are set by the political masters of the NHS at Holyrood) or the closure of hospitals or units (when health boards encounter flak from communities affected by planned centralisation) it can appear to staff and members of the public that consultation is something to be consigned to the periphery when it should, in fact, be central to the decision-making process.