No to GP cut
dispensary. Nothing happened. If people are sceptical and cynical about officials’ commitments there is a reason.”
There was applause when audience member Lorna Ferguson told the officials: “Aberfoyle has a lot of vulnerable elderly in this community. Stirling Council makes a point of supporting these people. Are you not leaving us stranded here?”
Officials were also asked if three GP sessions a week was sufficient for Aberfoyle.
Stuart Cumming, a Killearn GP and the board’s associate medical director of primary care, said: “Responsibility for how funding is used and how doctors organise their surgeries lies with the partners.
“The change to three sessions was a practice decision.
“It’s not about providing all that funding back to Aberfoyle but giving a fair share when you are looking on a West Stirlingshire basis.”
Aberfoyle GP Andrew Cox said their workload had risen massively following the loss of the salaried colleague.
“We had to act swiftly and felt the best way was to look at what we were offering at this stage,” he added.
“We reduced surgery sessions as necessary to maintain ourselves and are waiting on the outcome of discussions before making a final decision.
“We welcome any commitment from the health board to support us but we will review things once we know what they have got to offer.”
Audience member Anne Lindsay, for many years a GP at the A&B practice, said they took on a salaried GP at the health board’s insistence to cover form being on-call.
“We couldn’t get any holidays or be ill because there was no one to help out,” she added. “Does the health board have any ideas of how the GPs can access support for times when a third pair of hands is essential?”
Trossachs and Teith councillor Evelyn Tweed said the rural nature of the practice area and its transport issues had to be taken into account and her counterpart Jeremy McDonald told the officials: “You have made a decision but never once consulted the community.
“Why are you taking money away from the practice to spread it thinly elsewhere, making this practice very much worse?”
Stirling MP Stephen Kerr said NHS officials should consider the views of patients and MSP Bruce Crawford added: “I know there are other practices with two sites but we have to look at where they are and how rural they are compared with this area.
“How will £100,000 be divided and will it just go to West Stirlingshire?
“We have to face change but the community has to be properly resourced with services it deserves.”
making this practice very much worse?