Axed hospital ‘keeping mymumalive’saysson
THE son of an 95-yearold woman being cared for in a hospital earmarked for closure has urged the First Minister to intervene on behalf of families.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said a contract with Walker Healthcare to provide care for 72 residents at Mearnskirk Hospital in Newton Mearns will not be renewed next year. The hospital, which takes admissions from Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire, was praised last year in the board’s own Chairman Awards.
In an impassioned letter to Nicola Sturgeon, the man, who asked not be identified, said he credited Mearnskirk Hospital for his mother’s survival.
He writes: “My mother was transferred from the Langland’s Unit to Mearnskirk House in January 2017 after we were advised she may only have months to live.
“It was only after receiving the best possible care and attention by dedicated staff, that one year later, my mother has put on a ston.
“This was certainly not the case when my mother was in the Langlands unit at the QEUH.
“She would most probably no longer be alive had she stayed at Langlands. I am confident that the care she has received could not be provided in a care home setting.”
The board has said the closure is in line with government strategy that hospital care should only be provided to elderly people for whom there is no other option.
However, the elderly woman’s son said he had “no confidence” that his mother would receive the same level of care elsewhere. He writes: “It is no secret that social care in Scotland faces a fundamental crisis. In such an enviroment, how on earth will social care be sourced for 72 very frail elderly peopl?”
“I cannot stress strong enough what an asset Mearnskirk House is to the NHS and to the Scottish Government.
“You should be proud that Scotland has such a facility instead of allowing it to be closed.”
A spokeswoman for Walker Healthcare said it “remained open to extending the contract.”