Anger at hospital’s name change plan
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THE group behind the controversial decision to rename Sutherland’s 112-year-old Lawson Memorial Hospital is resisting mounting pressure to do a U-turn.
The Lawson Memorial Hospital Community Group reviewed its decision at a meeting on Wednesday evening in the light of widespread condemnation.
But members appear to be standing firm in their resolution to rename the Lawson Memorial Hospital and the Cambusavie Unit as the Lawson Community Hospital.
NHS managers announced yesterday they would be holding consultations with local communities to explain “the thinking behind the need for a name change”.
Opponents have gone online in recent weeks to criticise the name change as “unnecessary” and “disrespectful” to the memory of hospital founder Alexander Brown Lawson.
They are also claim local communities were not consulted.
The hospital community group decided in December to rename the hospital and the adjacent Cambusavie Unit – a care of the elderly medical and rehabilitation centre – jointly as the Lawson Community Hospital.
Rather than see the disappearance of the name Cambusavie, it was suggested at the meeting that a relatives’ room be named the Cambusavie Room.
The name tweak was felt to be necessary because the two units, which up until now have operated independently, have been merged following a £250,000 upgrade. The redeveloped units officially opened yesterday.
Since the December meeting, opponents have made their feelings known. A number of posts have been made on the Golspie village site and also on Golspie Heritage Society’s site.
Co-ordinating the opposition campaign is Heritage Society secretary Shirley Sutherland.
She has complained to hospital community group member Campbell Stewart; Golspie Community Council chairman Iain Miller and East Sutherland and Edderton ward councillor Deirdre Mackay.
Mrs Sutherland said: “I can’t see any need to change the name at all and think it is extremely disrespectful.
“In my opinion, once you go through the gates off the A9, you are in the grounds of the Lawson Memorial Hospital and the Cambusavie Unit is part of that. Put a sign up saying ‘In-patients’ and another for ‘Out-patients’ and keep the names the same!”
Mrs Sutherland is supported by retired Golspie GP Dr Michael Simpson, whose family has a long connection with the Lawson and who is in possession of the original Deed of Trust for the hospital.
He believes the name change is motivated purely by political reasons.
Among those who posted comments on the village site is Andy Wood, who wrote: “Everyone knows it is a community hospital, you don’t need to change the name to reflect that.
“In times of austerity it is the last thing any quango should be thinking about. Don’t waste the money and don’t change history.”
And Andy Myers commented: “Another attack of corporatism for no reason whatsoever other than some manager having a spot of ‘blue sky thinking’.
“Change for changes sake and at the expense of the taxpayer.”
Marion Sutherland, a nurse at the Cambusavie Unit, refuted claims that the name change would cost taxpayers dearly.
She posted: “Need to declare an interest here, as I work in the building on the Lawson site which has been called the Cambusavie Unit for the last 23 years.
“As most people are aware there is no cost in changing a letter heading, as the heading is part of what is printed off on any PC in NHS Highland, so can be changed as often as necessary at no cost.
“As there is to be a change in use of the buildings, there will need to be new signage anyway, so no extra cost is due to any name change.”
The Northern Times approached Lawson Memorial Community Group member Mary Nicol for comment this week. She said she had not been present at the December meeting but expected the name change to be discussed again on Wednesday.
Another group member, Carl Lemkes, posted on the village site: “I am on the working group and at the meeting in November it was agreed that naming would be discussed with the community. I didn’t attend the last meeting and was surprised to see they had decided on a name.”
Following Wednesday’s meeting, an NHS spokesman said: “Because of the significance of the redevelopment, at the last meeting in December the community group agreed the facility should be named the Lawson Community Hospital. This has sparked some debate over the last weeks.
“The group had discussions about some of the comments and felt more work needed to be done to explain the improvements and the thinking behind the need for a name change.
“It was agreed meetings should take place with community councils and others.”
