Councillors urge Holyrood probe into St John’s staffing

COUNCILLORS are to ask the Scottish Government to probe the handling of staff shortages at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.

Ministers will be asked to investigate after it emerged paediatric trainees were being withdrawn at the same time as it was proving difficult to recruit consultants.

The Action to Save St John’s party and main opposition parties overcame protests of the ruling SNP party at West Lothian Council to approve the investigation plea.

The vote, at a full council meeting last week, was condemned by council leader Peter Johnston as “shameless scaremongering”. The council will also write to the chairman of NHS Lothian, Dr Charles Winstanley, to record its concern that hospital stakeholders were not informed of the shortages.