As your Member of Scottish Parliament for the Linlithgow Constituency, I am delighted to take the opportunity over the festive period to reflect on the year gone by, and 2019 has been particularly busy. Of course, this year we saw two elections, but also a number of exciting announcements of changes that will help those across the Lothians.
This year I hosted a 10 stop surgery tour in July visiting constituents in the smaller towns and villages across the constituency. I also had the pleasure of meeting with a number of local and national organisations, charities and businesses throughout the year to discuss local issues, and I arranged a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and a number of transport organisations in May in Winchburgh to discuss local expectations and ambitions for the next stages of the development.
I was pleased that the Children’s Ward at St John’s Hospital re-opened on a 24 hour basis from Monday to Thursday, along with a firm commitment that this will be extended to seven days a week once clinically safe to do so following the addition of further new trained staff. I also visited St John’s Hospital at the start of the year to hear about the plans for the new Accident and Emergency Department expansion, and the First Minister visited the hospital in March to announce more than £50 million to be spent on improving access to mental health services for expectant and new mothers. At this time of year GP services are busier than ever, and the Scottish Government has pledged an extra £20million this year to help support GP practices.
In the aftermath of the General Election, it is more important than ever that your local elected representatives work to protect and represent the interests of their constituents, and I am privileged to be able to continue to do so as we go into 2020. I want to take this opportunity to thank all in West Lothian for continuing to show compassion and support to those in need.
Furthermore, as we head into days of colder weather, it is important to pay tribute to members of the emergency services, postal workers, businesses and members of the public who are doing everything they can to serve our communities over the festive period.
I would like to wish all my constituents a very merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.
Fiona Hyslop MSP
Member of Scottish Parliament for the Linlithgow Constituency