The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Angry residents to fight for out-of-hours service
Packed meeting ramps up pressure to reverse decision
Pressure is mounting on Fife’s health and social care partnership to reverse its decision to stop overnight out-of-hours services at hospitals in Glenrothes, Dunfermline and St Andrews.
Residents in the Glenrothes area, who five years ago fought off closure of the out-of-hours at Glenrothes Hospital, described the latest threat to axe provision from midnight to 8am as “unacceptable” at a packed meeting in the town last night.
Locals fear the three-month contingency measure imposed by the partnership in response to staffing shortages is no more than a prelude to permanent changes, although a rallying call to oppose the move was issued to the tens of thousands of people who are now forced to travel to Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.
Fife health and social care partnership said action had to be taken to ensure patient safety and continue to insist the arrangements will be reviewed at the end of the three-month period.
Residents in Glenrothes last night called on health chiefs to immediately reverse a decision to shelve out-of-hours services overnight, amid fears tens of thousands of people will have to fork out for journeys to Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.
At a public meeting organised by the Glenrothes Area Residents Federation (GARF), Fife’s Health and Social Care Partnership was left in no doubt about the strength of feeling against its decision to cease out-of-hours services at Glenrothes Hospital, Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline and St Andrews Community Hospital.
And locals in Glenrothes who won a similar fight to retain threatened services five years ago hope people power will triumph again.
Fife Health and Social Care Partnership confirmed earlier this month it would have to introduce overnight contingency measures as it was struggling to cover shifts. The staffing shortages mean out-of-hours services will only be available in Kirkcaldy from midnight to 8am.
Objectors fear the move is a prelude to a permanent removal, although the partnership has insisted the situation will be reviewed after three months.
Local MSP Jenny Gilruth has gained cross-party support against the plans and has secured a Scottish Parliament debate on the issue.
She was highly critical of partnership director Michael Kellet, who failed to appear at last night’s meeting.
She said: “This decision was deliberately sneaked out during the parliamentary recess and it has been pinned on a staffing shortage, yet we have a higher number of GPs employed in Fife than we did this time last year.”
Labour MSP Claire Baker said: “There are obviously pressures on this service but what concerns me is that it was labelled an emergency closure – I would have thought there would have been some kind of foresight in the lead-up to it which should allow some kind of discussion with the public.”
GARF chairman Ian Robertson accused the partnership of trying to withdraw out-of-hours services “by stealth”, but warned the people of Glenrothes stood ready to fight, as they did in 2012-13.
There are obviously pressures on this service, but what concerns me is that it was labelled an emergency closure ... CLAIRE BAKER LABOUR MSP