NHS Western Isles declares an interest in becoming an alternative provider of An Cotan 

NHS Western Isles has agreed to declare an interest in exploring becoming an alternative provider of the An Cotan Childcare Centre, either on its own or as part of a partnership.  

The Health Board was disappointed to learn that the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) had launched a consultation on the proposed closure of An Cotan Childcare Centre on March 1.   

Childcare provision is a long-standing issue in our community, and is of vital importance to the sustainability of our Health and Social care system and our islands. As one of the main employers in the Western Isles, NHS Western Isles recognises the importance of childcare provision to enable parents and carers to work, as well as the clear benefits of high quality childcare for the children themselves.   

With ongoing serious recruitment challenges across the organisation, and the steady population decline, the Health Board is keen to explore the options for An Cotan Childcare Centre to support existing staff with children, future staff and our wider community.  

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive, Gordon Jamieson, said: “We have been in contact with the UHI to ensure they are aware of our intention to explore becoming an alternative  provider for the running of the nursery, either on our own, or as part of a wider partnership. There will be significant amount of very detailed work necessary to progress this, but we are committed to doing what we can to ensure that the facility remains open.”  

The consultation feedback will be open until 5pm on 17th March 2023 and feedback can be provided at ancotan.consultation@uhi.ac.uk NHS Western Isles would encourage anyone with an interest to respond to the consultation.  

Filters

You can use the filters to show only news posts that match your interest.

Date range