St John's steering group back in business

Published on Friday 30 January 2009 09:00

NHS Lothian and West Lothian Council have tentatively put their differences aside and resurrected work on a local steering group.

This is despite a West Lothian councillor reporting NHS Lothian chairman Dr Charles Winstanley to the Standards Commission over part of the evidence he gave to a parliamentary committee.

Relations between the two have been strained for months, and hostilities date back to when three councillors were elected to the local authority in West Lothian on the ticket of retaining and securing services for St John's Hospital.

Since then the local authority voted to hire a private consultant – at taxpayers' cost – to investigate the health board's commitment to the Livingston Hospital.

This move infuriated Dr Winstanley and other senior members, especially in the face of high profile investment in St John's, and led to a suspension of meetings of the St John's Hospital Stakeholder Group.

Following a series of tense meetings, the committee will resume this year.