Consultants plan has not cost taxpayer

Published on Tuesday 31 March 2009 09:44

PLANS to hire a private consultant to investigate future plans for St John's Hospital have not come at any cost to the taxpayer, a local authority has insisted.

West Lothian Council sparked fury within the health board when it announced last year it had appointed someone to probe health pledges at the Livingston hospital.

Privately, health bosses queried why taxpayers' cash was being set aside for what they saw as a futile exercise, and the council has since cancelled the agreement and instead decided to work directly with NHS Lothian.

In details obtained by the Evening News under the Freedom of Information Act, the council said nothing had been spent.

A spokeswoman said: "No expenditure has yet been incurred. West Lothian Council agreed to appoint a consultant to report back to the chair of the St John's Hospital Stakeholder Group. It was agreed that Dr Alison McCallum (NHS Lothian's public health director] would develop a work plan. If it is then agreed, there will be no additional expenditure incurred in the future."