Not too late for a good solution

Sir, – I was astonished to see the recent report regarding out of hours services in Fife.

It claimed that an additional consultation on the Fife out of hours service is necessary because only north-east Fife had been consulted the first time (“Public to be consulted again on out of hours GP cover after outcry”, Courier, December 9).

This is not correct, and the problem is the same throughout Fife.

The key point is that, to avoid unnecessary deaths, it is travel times that are crucial.

The original consultation was focused on three different services.

For two, the Fife solution was to localise, for the third to centralise.

What made centralisation worse, was that it was to a place which is geographically not central within Fife, has difficulty staffing out of hours services, and will impose long travel times on many.

Asking west Fife does not explain why localisation was not the answer to all three topics consulted on.

I would ask the authorities to do two things now.

First, stop implementing their centralisation of out of hours services to Kirkcaldy, a solution clearly rejected by those who believe it puts lives at risk.

Second, reduce travel times by ensuring that everyone in Fife will be within 10 miles or so of an out of hours service.

This would allow the current four centres to be reduced to three, if Dunfermline, Cupar and St Andrews were used. Dr Clive R Sneddon. Toll Park,

20 Hepburn Gardens, St Andrews.