Politicians say taxi bill raises wider questions on future

Politicians fighting the potential threat to the Angus unit have said eyebrows will be raised by the fivefigure monthly bill for ferrying staff to and from the Dundee unit to which patients were transferred.

There has been cross-party criticism of the extra costs Angus families would have to meet on a permanent basis if the eventual – and widely feared – review outcome signals the death knell for the Stracathro Hospital unit.

North east Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said: “I have said all along that the Mulberry unit should be retained in Angus.

“Patients and their families are already facing lengthy round trips to Carseview – now we find thousands of pounds a month are being spent on taxi fares for staff as well.

“One of the reasons for the centralisation plan was a shortage of workers at Stracathro Hospital.

“If that is the case, I think people will now question why the health board now has to spend so much money ferrying staff from Angus to Dundee and back.

“At a time when NHS Tayside does not have its financial troubles to seek, this is a considerable sum of money.”

Angus North and Mearns SNP MSP Mairi Gougeon said: “NHS Tayside had to find a workable solution to ensure staff and patients weren’t further inconvenienced during this time.

“But clearly this underlines another problem behind the proposal to close the unit permanently.

“A lot of patients from Angus would be forced to travel considerably further for care despite having a purpose-built £20 million facility on their doorstep.

“The proposal to close the Mulberry unit makes no financial sense whatsoever and it’s absolutely critical anyone who wants to have a say on its future does so before the NHS Tayside consultation closes on October 3.”