NHS Fife has been urged to come clean on the possible closure of a Dunfermline hospice.
Health campaigner Andrew Rodger said the public have a right to know what discussions are taking place on the future of Queen Margaret Hospital’s palliative care ward, and claimed behind-closed-doors talks are adding to patients’ anxiety.
The closure of ward 16 is one of a number of options being considered by the region’s health chiefs to find £13.5 million of savings. It has been suggested that patients requiring relief for symptoms of life-threatening illnesses should be transferred to Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
Centralising palliative care would save the health board over £322,000, but the plan has alarmed politicians and campaigners in west Fife, who say it is vital to retain the local hospice.
Mr Rodger said, “I have been told that closing the hospice beds in Dunfermline is just one option being proposed and the implications would be researched.
“I believe that once they do the research they will find they actually need extra beds because a lot of patients are being held up in acute beds because the hospice is full.”
He added, “Once patients are treated for an immediate acute problem, if they are not able to go home they should be in a hospice bed not an acute ward.”
Mr Rodger said that as many people as possible should be looked after at home, but some people required hospice care.
“To close these beds in Dunfermline and only keep Kirkcaldy is a step too far,” he said. “I’m open to them having a debate on this because the people of Fife need to know what’s happening.”
The suggestion that Dunfermline’s palliative care ward could be closed was made at an NHS Fife board meeting at the beginning of June. Many people have voiced opposition to the move, saying palliative care should be kept local to ensure relatives had regular access.