The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Crunch meeting over GPs delayed
Out of hours fate to remain unknown for a month
The fate of Fife’s out of hours GP service will remain unknown for at least another month.
Health and social care chiefs have postponed a crunch meeting just days before a decision was due on how communities would access family doctors in the evening, overnight and at weekends.
They had been expected to recommend the closure of the service at Glenrothes, while retaining some primary care services at St Andrews, at the meeting on Tuesday.
Officers said they need more time to assess the information available.
The news was given a mixed reception, with St Andrews campaigners frustrated at yet another delay but those in Glenrothes happy to be given more time to push their case.
The decision is now expected to be taken on
June 21.
A crunch meeting to decide the longterm future of Fife’s out of hours GP service has been shelved for a second time.
Health and social care chiefs have delayed the final decision by another month, saying they need more time to assess the information available.
They had been expected to recommend a way to keep some primary care services at St Andrews Community Hospital overnight and at weekends, while sticking to the original plan to close the Glenrothes base entirely.
The proposal was due to go before the Integration Joint Board (IJB) on Tuesday.
Campaigners to keep the St Andrews service, say they are frustrated by yet another delay, although those in Glenrothes have seized the chance to up their bid to reverse the recommendation.
Leslie Bain, chairman of Glenrothes
They’re trying to cut four units down to three. LESLIE BAIN.
Area Residents Federation, claimed the health and social care partnership (HSCP) had so far failed to listen to local people’s views. “They’re trying to cut four units down to three and want to move the Glenrothes service to Kirkcaldy,” he said.
“We are delighted the partnership has conceded the proposals cannot go to a meeting of the IJB next week. This will hopefully give us more time to push for our arguments to be heard.”
Willie Rennie, Liberal Democrat MSP for North East Fife, called for a final decision without further delay at the end of June.
“The longer this decision takes, the greater the risk for patients in north east Fife,” he said. “The new service will mean only in exceptional circumstances would patients need to travel to Kirkcaldy.”
Fife HSCP director Michael Kellet said significant progress had been made on the out of hours proposal and that officers were continuing to engage with communities.
Overnight GP cover has been centralised in Kirkcaldy for more than a year after staff shortages prompted fears for patient safety.
The HSCP had recommended closing St Andrews and Glenrothes and housing all evening, overnight and weekend services in Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.