Apology demand over A&E situation
Claim of being ‘misled’
Murdo Fraser MSP says an apology is due after Robison (right) resigned Perthshire politician Murdo Fraser MSP reckons Scotland’s newest health secretary ought to apologise for allegedly “misleading” statements made by her predecessor about Perth Royal Infirmary.
The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP has written to Jeanne Freeman MSP demanding an apology over what he has termed “ambiguous and misleading” statements allegedly issued by the Scottish Government over the last nine months about accident and emergency services being protected at PRI.
The Conservative MSP claims in that time he asked the former health secretary, Dundee City East MSP Shona Robison, on two separate occasions to comment on the future of A&E services at PRI and was told as recently as May they were safe and any suggestion they were not was “scaremongering”.
Claiming her successor has now all but scrapped A&E in Perth with a recent decision to redirect all “unscheduled admissions” to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Mr Fraser believes the Scottish Government and Ms Robison knew the decision was coming and has demanded Ms Freeman apologise for their “lack of transparency.”
“For over nine months I have asked the Scottish Government about the future of A&E services at PRI only to be told it was safe,” he told the PA.
“During this time, [former health secretary] Shona Robison has led the people of Perth and Kinross up the garden path with her statements on A&E care in the Fair City.
“As recently as May she was trotting out the same old lines on emergency care being secure only for her successor to come in and all but scrap this lifeline service.
“Decisions on this scale are not made overnight and the Scottish Government must have known about these plans when drafting up these misleading statements.
“We need the Scottish Government to come clean about PRI and that is why I have written to the health secretary. Ultimately, at the very least, patients deserve an apology from the Scottish Government over their complete lack of transparency.”
He added: “Over the next couple of months I want people across Perth and Kinross to make their voices heard and show the Scottish Government that they want a fully functioning A&E at PRI and I would encourage people to come to a public meeting the Conservatives are hosting in Auchterarder.”
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 7 at 7pm in the main hall in Auchterarder Parish Church.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “[Perth] Royal Infirmary plays a vital role providing health care to the people of Perth and will continue to do so.
“As has already been made clear by NHS Tayside, this includes A&E being retained at PRI.
“Improvements in healthcare have resulted in increased numbers of same-day surgeries and shorter stays in hospital for many patients, meaning that care is now delivered in the community.
“NHS Tayside has sought to assure us that the proposed changes will improve surgical services in Tayside and provide safer, higher quality services, while also minimising the risk of cancelled procedures.”