A few posts ago I reflected on the lost things of our lives – one of these is a yellow typewriter which I last saw in 1976 in West Africa. Sadly, another of my belongings has joined the list of lost-never-to-be seen-again items – an old stripey scarf, which I left behind last week, either in the Scottish Parliament or in a restaurant in Edinburgh where I subsequently met with a NHS colleague. It was only when I was half way home that I realised what I’d done. I hope someone has found it and gives that scarf a good life.
In case you think from this that my life has become pure hedonism, I should explain that I was in Edinburgh to attend a meeting of the Cross Party Group on Heart Disease and Stroke – see previous post. At that meeting, the Cross Party Group agreed to ask our new Cabinet Secretary for Health two questions which relate to a matter discussed in a previous post – driving assessments. These are the questions:
1. What processes took place prior to this decision (i.e. to centralise driving assessments in Edinburgh) to satisfy the requirements of the 2010 Equality Act, which places responsibilities on public bodies who make changes to public policy/practice to consult with those who might be affected?
2. What will be the arrangements for those people living with stroke, residing in areas of Scotland outwith the central belt, who wish to have a driving assessment?
Others have asked these questions before and received a bland response. If I left my scarf in the Parliament, I hope it helps to make the Cabinet Secretary’s reply a warm one, though somehow I doubt it – I’ll keep you posted.
