GLASGOW hospitals are about to carry out their largest ever operation - relocating 10,500 staff to the new Southern General.

 

It's a mammoth undertaking and a huge exercise in logistics, and when the new South Glasgow Hospitals are officially opened later this year it will be one of the biggest health complexes in Europe.

For the people of Glasgow, the world class facilities promise gold standard care and state-of-the-art treatment.

So it is vital, especially given the level of investment involved, that we get this right first time with all the i's dotted and the t's crossed.

This applies not only to the building itself but to the entire hospital campus.

It is estimated that somewhere in the region of 13,500 people - staff, patients and visitors alike - will arrive at the hospital each day.

But as it stands, there are likely to be fewer than 3000 parking spaces available when the new campus opens its doors.

This has raised serious questions and last week I met with the Royal College of Nursing whose members fear that inadequate car parking and public transport links will hamper staff travelling to and from their shifts.

They tell me that the website designed to help them plan their new route, tells nurses coming from East Kilbride that if they want to make their early shift on time, they have to leave the night before.

This is clearly ludicrous and I've written to Glasgow City Council requesting an urgent meeting to discuss parking and transport links.

It would be most unfortunate, to say the least, if this fantastic new facility was hit by transport difficulties and I know that the health board and city council will want to get it right.

Nobody wants single workers walking long distances alone at night, nor do the local residents of Linthouse, Govan and surrounding areas want their streets flooded with parked cars from hospital staff.

But, just as importantly, we all know how worrying it is when a friend or family member is rushed to hospital. If you're following the ambulance, you don't want to be spending half an hour doing laps of the hospital desperately trying to find a space instead of getting their questions answered inside.

Parking sounds like such a basic issue, but it makes a real difference to the safety of staff, the worry of patients' relatives and the quality of life of nearby residents.

In an parliamentary answer to my fellow Glasgow regional MSP, Drew Smith, the Scottish Government described themselves as "satisfied" that the maximum number of car parking spaces will be provided.

But, on the ground, there are real concerns that the current plans do not go far enough.

With the hospital due to start receiving patients in June, this issue needs addressed now.

I have no doubt that the new South Glasgow Hospitals will be of tremendous benefit to all of us here in Glasgow, but we must get the complete package right.

That means heeding the words of nurses raising concern and doing everything possible to ensure that in all respects the new campus is fit for purpose.