NHS Fife ignored a number of chances to withdraw a controversial proposal to close Glenrothes Hospital’s out-of-hours GP service, it has been claimed.
Local MSP Tricia Marwick said that she and MP Lindsay Roy had privately advised managers that their plan to transfer services was “flawed and biased”.
They have now urged the health board to put the matter to rest, following a surprise vote to save it, and not to try to bring forward further attempts to downgrade the service.
The politicians led a concerted campaign against the proposal, which they said would disadvantage thousands of people in Glenrothes, Levenmouth and the Howe of Fife. It was eventually rejected on Tuesday, when NHS Fife board members voted by 11 to 10 to retain the service.
This was despite an assertion by managers that it made clinical sense to site it at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, where there is access to other services such as accident and emergency and specialist treatment.
Mrs Marwick said the whole community had been united against the move.
“In the face of such opposition, NHS Fife should have taken the advice and many opportunities that Lindsay and I offered to them in private meetings to withdraw this flawed and biased proposal,” she said.
“The fact they did not has now led to the decision whereby NHS Fife officials found their proposal defeated.”
She added: “We commend the elected and appointed members of the board for their refusal to accept a flawed report and the recommendation to close the out-of-hours GP service at Glenrothes Hospital.
“They were thorough, non-partisan and acted in the interest of the people of Fife. There are many lessons for NHS Fife to learn from this whole episode, about consultation, on presenting facts and listening to communities.
“The most important lesson they should take on board is that the NHS is there to meet the needs of the communities it serves, not for the convenience of clinicians and managers.”
Mr Roy claimed it had been very clear some officials had decided the service would be transferred to Kirkcaldy and then set about building a case to support closure.
“They tried to limit consultation by not initially informing either the elected MP or MSP and claiming it was a minor change, but they then had to concede it was a major change,” he said.
“The proposal could not stand up to examination, even though selective statistics, scare stories about clinical safety and claims the service was not fit for purpose were being put forward at public meetings. Very quickly, all of these arguments were discredited.”
Following the decision, Mr Roy and Mrs Marwick have written to the board chairperson, offering to work with them in the interests of constituents.
The move to retain the service has also been welcomed by councillor John Beare, who called for services at the hospital to be enhanced rather than withdrawn.
“It was never tenable for NHS Fife to remove a GP service from a town with a population approaching 50,000.
“The NHS management in Fife have put this town through 18 months of unnecessary worry and need to carry out a full review of their practices in this skewed consultation and how they reached their conclusions in the face of near total opposition.
“I am delighted the NHS board have seen sense and overruled the management. I doubt this could have happened if the board was not elected by the people of Fife.”