Staffing crisis fuelling fears over service cuts

Fresh clouds of concern are gathering over Stracathro Hospital amid rumours of a further cut to services.

It comes after a warning that a gap in consultant provision could see admissions to the stroke unit stopped next week.

Continuing worries around temporary changes at the hospital have fuelled speculation the stroke unit is set for closure later this year with a possible move to Dundee.

Health chiefs have sought to assure the community that Stracathro will continue to play a key role in local health provision well into the future.

Angus Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) say a locum consultant is being lined up to plug the Stracathro gap.

However, if the situation cannot be resolved within days there will be no new admissions to the stroke unit and rehabilitation sessions will take place elsewhere.

AHSCP chief officer Gail Smith said: “The stroke rehabilitation unit at Stracathro is open.

“We have been managing a gap in our consultant medical staffing in the Angus unit and therefore teams across Tayside have been working together to ensure we are able to provide appropriate input.

“This is alongside the nursing, physiotherapy and other healthcare professions which provide specialist services for our stroke rehabilitation patients.

She added: “A locum consultant has been identified to support the medical input to the unit and this recruitment is currently being progressed. However, there is a gap in our consultant cover next week which the AHSCP team is trying to resolve.

“If we are unable to identify medical staffing to provide the required sessions next week, there will be no admissions to the unit for that period and any patient requiring an admission for stroke rehabilitation will be treated in a nearby rehabilitation facility.

“The welfare and safety of our patients is our absolute priority and we are committed to delivering the very highest standards of care.

“We are aware of very significant recruitment challenges and as a result we may be required to make some temporary changes to our stroke rehabilitation service at Stracathro.”

One source said the consultant’s post had been advertised for some time but without success.

“While the staff have been told it’s temporary, there have been rumours of closure for the last six months that have always been dismissed,” they said.

“It is unsettling for staff and it looks like they are going to be shunted and shifted around to other parts of Angus, or Dundee.

“Stracathro could be used for so much more.”

Brechin Community Council chairwoman Jill Scott said the situation was unsettling for Stracathro staff and patients.

“It is encouraging to be given reassurance from Gail Smith on the stability of the future of Stracathro,” she said.

“The community of Angus will always be on the alert to pick up any seeming indications that there is a threat to this vital local hospital.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, it is understandable that staff are working under pressure and this is understood by the public, however, this must not be used as a route to closure.

“We are just a couple of days away from the end of the week and neither staff or patients know what the situation next week will be.

“That is not a good position for anyone to be put in.”

Angus councillor and Angus North and Mearns Conservative candidate Braden Davy said: “Not only do Angus people deserve stroke care in a trusted and safe local setting, I strongly believe the NHS and health and social care cuts of recent years need to be reversed.”

WORRYING TIMES: Gail Smith, top, has given assurances about Stracathro Hospital but community council chairwoman Jill Scott has concerns.