Ward petition wins backing
Locals express support as closure fears increase
A petition in relation to a closure- threatened ward at Crieff Community Hospital was signed by nearly 100 people in the space of just three hours on Sunday.
Concerned local Alastair McLean took to James Square in a bid to encourage people to sign his document, which calls for the current Ward 1 Dementia Care Unit to be returned to a GP-led facility with 20 beds.
The protest comes against the backdrop of a drive by health bosses in certain parts of the region towards a more community-based care model – meaning that certain aspects of the current set up could be phased out and be replaced by a reworked ‘Hub-style’ system.
Mr McLean originally understood Ward 1 was to close in its current format at the end of March next year.
Unconfirmed reports stated on Wednesday afternoon this week, however, that the dementia ward could be closing as early as Friday.
Mr McLean’s petition was signed by 97 people in person on Sunday, and a further 10 have been added to an online version.
He told the Herald: “People were coming up to me and saying they had deliberately come into the town that day specifically to sign the petition – which is pleasing and shows the strength of feeling locally there is about it. They, like me, are very disappointed the ward is closing – some had relatives who had stayed there, and everyone I spoke to said the staff at the ward, and the hospital in general, were all second to none.
“The NHS might not be able to state it in public, but the staff have already been told that the ward in its current form is going to be closed and the staff will be relocated elsewhere within NHS Tayside.”
After describing the background to the situation, part of Mr McLean’s online petition states: “Ward 1 should be converted back to a general 20 bedded [sic] ward, releasing a small number of patients back to the community and reducing the bed blocking that the NHS is so concerned about.
“[This] will also allow the current staff to remain in Crieff, with a few RMN nurses being relocated, instead of all the staff.”
The concerned Crieff resident continued: “What really angers me the most is the misuse that’s going to be made of the ward when these changes come into force.
“How much is it going to cost to bring about these changes? Why don’t they just put it back to what it was – a 20-bed ward for general admission patients?’’
He said the petition would remain live until at least January’s potential public meeting with the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership and that he was exploring options with regards to other possible avenues of drumming up support – such as manning a stand in Crieff’s Co-op.
Partnership chief officer Robert Packham said: “We would like the local community to help us further improve the health and care services we provide.
“A series of community events are currently being planned and will be taking place early next year, where the local community will have the opportunity to share their views.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside told the Herald previously: “Over the last three years dementia assessment services provided within community hospitals in the north of Perthshire have successfully transferred from hospital-based service provision to providing enhanced dementia care within the person’s own home.
“That new model of care was introduced following feedback from local people, their families and carers, who told healthcare professionals they would like more personcentred, local care and more opportunities to access different community groups and services. A similar model for south Perthshire is now set to be considered ...”