Plea to return full out-of-hours GP service as soon as possible

Fife’s health and social care partnership has been urged to reinstate the out-of-hours GP service in Dunfermline as soon as possible.

SNP MSPs Shirley-Anne Somerville and Annabelle Ewing have hailed the decision to retain the centre at Queen Margaret Hospital, 14 months after it was closed overnight as an emergency contingency.

A new policy that will see taxi fares covered for some patients without their own transport has also been welcomed following a campaign to improve access to the service Fife-wide.

Ms Somerville said: “It’s urgent that Fife Health and Social Care Partnership takes action to reinstate a full out-of-hours service at Queen Margaret as soon as practicable.

“People have been having to travel to Kirkcaldy to access this vital service for far too long.”

Ms Ewing said: “I look forward to hearing detail on exactly when the service is expected to be operational.”

The contingency measures imposed in April last year saw all out-of-hours GP services based in Kirkcaldy between midnight and 8am.

The partnership had proposed closing Glenrothes and St Andrews completely and basing all out of hours cover in either Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline, or just Kirkcaldy.

Members voted last week to close the Glenrothes service and keep the others – albeit with St Andrews operating reduced hours.

North East Fife Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said the St Andrews decision was the result of a community effort that could not be ignored.

“The partnership was left in little doubt about the strength of feeling locally,” he said.