Jane Wallman-Girdlestone

I’d sit down if I were you.  It couldn’t be worse news at this end I’m afraid.  The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s office contacted me this morning.  Apparently, unlike their (almost) equivalent in England and Wales, the Scottish Ombudsman can only intervene if a Health Board fails to implement national guidelines effectively.
In my case, as we’ve talked about before, the guidelines are crystal clear.  A person who cannot see well enough to drive cannot have an NHS powered chair.
I haven’t had the emotional energy to look into how the Scottish Ombudsman is different from the Welsh and English ones.  They have already overturned NHS Trust guidelines in the case of guide dog users.  If he can’t in Scotland as it’s beyond his jurisdiction, then he can’t.
The advice was that my MP and MSP may be able to get the guidelines changed in coming years.  The ‘coming years’ leaves me speechless.  
So…  You’re guess is as good as mine now.  I’ll need to let this news sink in.  I can’t see a way forward in terms of NHS.
I bet you can imagine how I’m feeling though.  It’s an odd mixture of feeling ‘This can’t be right’ and a sense of helplessness.  Not a feeling I enjoy at the best of times.
I’m confused I guess.  How can the Ombudsman in England and Wales have one set if powers and the Scottish one not?  I wish I knew Nicola Sturgeon.  We need to have a coffee.