EXCLUSIVE: Labour’s George Redmond paid tribute to the NHS staff who cared for him, but he criticised the poor infrastructure at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and blamed the SNP Government.
George Redmond(Image: )
A top councillor who survived a heart attack before Christmas has blasted the SNP’s running of the NHS. George Redmond said the abuse of staff at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary was “disgraceful” and hit out at the showers not working on his ward.
He said: “The facilities would have been better in prison.” Redmond, who exposed the scandal of golden goodbye payments to ex-bosses on Glasgow council, was admitted to hospital in November after suffering chest pains.
He received care in the Royal and at the Golden Jubilee before being discharged. Speaking to the Record, the dad of two said of his experience in A&E in his home city:
“The amount of abuse our NHS staff I witnessed was just unacceptable. People were intoxicated with drink and drugs and they were lashing out verbally at the staff, swearing and calling them names. The staff are doing a great job, but to be abused by people you are trying to help is disgraceful. The police in A&E were also getting abused.”
Redmond said the care from the doctors and nurses was “off the scale good”, but he said of the facilities: “I was in there a week and the showers in the ward did not work. I had to get a shower in a different ward and that also stopped working.
“The facilities are nowhere near where they should be and the other staff were complaining to me about it. If you don’t get a shower, you run the risk of getting an infection. The Golden Jubilee was the gold service, but what I saw at the Royal wasn’t even bronze.”
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Referring to the replacement for Barlinnie prison, he said: “We are getting a purpose built prison for people who have committed crimes, but not patients in the NHS. There is a vision for the prison estate, but not for the NHS.”
Redmond, who used to lead the Labour group on Glasgow council, added: “It was a total eye opener. The staff went above and beyond, but they need the facilities to do the job. What I experienced was a damning indictment of 19 years of SNP rule.”
He had two stents fitted and is back at his work in the city chambers.
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said: “George’s experiences will resonate with thousands of Scots. Incredible NHS staff are going above and beyond to give patients the right care, but they are being let down by an incompetent SNP government.
“A Scottish Labour government will end the SNP’s neglect and make our NHS fit for the future, so everyone can count on it in their hour of need.”
Dr Sandesh Gulhane, a Tory MSP, said: “This first-hand account exposes the full-blown crisis in our NHS after almost two decades of SNP failure.
“It’s disgraceful that dedicated frontline staff and patients are expected to tolerate such appalling conditions. Staff are doing an incredible job but are crying out for real support from the SNP government.
“Neil Gray should do the right thing and adopt our bold plans to cut bureaucracy, axe middle managers and surge resources to the frontline.”
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We’re sorry to hear that there was an issue with shower facilities on one of our wards during Mr Redmond’s stay. Our Estates team work to rectify issues quickly, however, there are some circumstances when timeframes can be outside of their control. We are grateful to patients and families for their patience while any maintenance is completed.
“The safety of our patients, staff, and visitors is our priority, and we operate a zero‑tolerance approach to violence, aggression and abuse toward our staff and other patients or visitors. Every incident is treated with sensitivity and staff are always supported, should they wish, to report matters to Police Scotland. They are also asked to record incidents through our internal reporting system.
“We thank our staff who work to deliver quality care across all NHSGGC hospitals.”