The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Meeting set to address patients’ fears over Methven doctors’ surgery.
METHVEN: Public meeting to discuss ongoing concerns over long-term outlook for rural doctors’ surgery
A public meeting has been arranged to address patients’ fears about the future of a busy Perthshire doctors’ surgery.
Residents in Methven say the practice in the village’s Retinue Row has been shut for eight days so far in November, following closures last month.
The issue has led to concerns about the long-term future for the centre, which is run as a satellite surgery for Perth’s Victoria practice and serves patients from Methven, Almondbank, Pitcairngreen and the wider rural area.
Residents have been given the option to attend the Glover Street surgery in Perth instead. However, this involves a round trip lasting more than an hour and patients who do not have a car are required to take two buses.
Locals say they fear a repeat of what happened in Bridge of Earn, where the sudden closure of the village surgery earlier this year meant 3,500 patients had to be dispersed to other practices.
Methven and District Community Council is hosting a public meeting with Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Liz Smith tonight and residents are being urged to share their experiences.
However, the GP practice had not been informed about the talks when contacted by The Courier yesterday, so said it could not comment. The community council said it would be issuing an invitation last night.
Sarah Fergusson from the group said: “When the surgery lost its pharmacy in 2013, the opening hours dropped from 8am–5pm to 9am–noon during the week.
“That worked fine for the first few years, but due to NHS cutbacks, we are now being left without regular provision.
“This month, the practice has been shut eight days. In October, it was shut four or five days, so it’s becoming more irregular.”
The group says the issue is putting the village’s most vulnerable residents at risk and is calling for the full service to be reinstated as quickly as possible.
Sarah added: “It’s tricky for older people to get into Perth for appointments. There are about 1,400 people in Methven, and more in the surrounding area who rely on the surgery. We’re worried that this will close for good as people start moving into Almond Valley where there’s no GP provision earmarked.
“We just want the practice to be open from 8am–noon every day again, but we aren’t receiving the duty of care that we deserve. We do not want to be like Bridge of Earn.”
The public meeting will take place at 6.30pm at the Old Vestry Hall, to the rear of the community centre, prior to the community council’s mini AGM.
NHS Tayside has said it is investigating the circumstances around the Bridge of Earn surgery closure on August 30. Patients were given less than a week’s notice it would shut.
“We aren’t receiving the duty of care that we deserve. COMMUNITY COUNCILLOR SARAH FERGUSSON