Fears over fall in available beds at PRI

CONCERNS have been raised over a claimed “downgrading” of Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) after figures revealed the average number of available beds at the hospital fell by almost 2,000 in three years.

A FOI request has revealed the average bed availability over the course of a year fell from 21,098 in 2017 to 19,333 by September of last year. This is a decrease of 1,765.

Following the revelation, Murdo Fraser MSP expressed concerns that NHS Tayside would downgrade PRI and wanted assurances that this would not be the case. The Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative representative said: “This is a worrying disclosure. PRI is a hugely important facility for the local community and this notable decrease in beds is alarming.”

It comes after NHS Tayside revealed plans for work to begin next year on a new multi-million-pound elective care centre at PRI, which the health board says will be a “centre of excellence for planned surgery in Tayside”.

Chief executive Grant Archibald said: “The planned elective care centre would allow us to carry out hundreds of additional routine operations every year and make PRI a centre of excellence for planned surgery.

“The development of the Tayside centre would see a significant investment at Perth Royal Infirmary, underlining NHS Tayside’s commitment to providing first-class healthcare from the PRI site for the future.”

An NHS Tayside spokesman said: “The public should be reassured that PRI is firmly established as a key part of our acute services plan and has a vital role to play in the future delivery of healthcare services in Tayside.

“This can be evidenced with our very recent announcement that plans for a new multi-millionpound state-of-the-art elective care centre to be built at PRI are gathering pace.”