Former consultant surgeon John Blair warns the people of Perthshire to resist “dangerous” cuts to emergency surgery at Perth Royal Infirmary.
NHS Tayside announced that it would stop emergency surgery in Perth from Thursday mornings each week to allow more elective surgery to take place.
The trial move has provoked a backlash from those who fear it could signal deeper cuts.
The health body has tried to dismiss the concerns but they were brought sharply into focus when Brian Singer, chair of PRI’s medical staff committee, attacked them in a letter to politicians.
John Blair, a former consultant surgeon, said he had been moved to contact The Courier after hearing disturbing reports from former colleagues.
He said: “This will be dangerous because of the inevitably much longer time taken to transport someone from Perthshire country places to Dundee.
“It will inevitably mean that the next managerial move will be to run PRI right down.”
He went on: “If a child dies on the way to have emergency surgery because of the longer journey, the blame will not be that of the ambulance crew, nor of the doctors or nurses, but of the managers.”
Mr Blair has been a regular visitor to the hospital since his wife suffered a stroke a year ago and said he is “saddened” by the falling morale of nursing and medical staff.
Mr Singer said the cuts risk “catastrophically undermining the NHS Tayside’s ability to deliver acute medical care in Perth” and could signal the end of PRI’s status as an acute district general hospital.
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, has called for a rethink and a meeting will be held tomorrow between NHS Tayside and parliamentarians.
She said: “From the outset of the proposals being made public by The Courier, I understand there has been a lack of consultation, especially with medical managers at Perth Royal Infirmary, as well as with patients and public representatives.
“With patients and medics raising significant concerns I believe the time has come for NHS Tayside to scrap their plans to cut emergency surgery services at Perth Royal Infirmary.
“I am increasingly concerned that the continuous removal of services, such as the maternity ward, paediatrics, pathology, and weekend surgery, and the staged closures which have taken place over a number of years at Perth Royal Infirmary, will ultimately lead to the end of Perth Royal Infirmary as an acute District General Hospital.”
Medical director of NHS Tayside Dr Andrew Russell said: “We understand that some people may have some anxiety about this change and this is why we want to test it out with all the appropriate measures of safety in place and outcomes being closely monitored. Clinicians in PRI and Ninewells will be monitoring and assessing the impact on other services at each hospital, looking at our patients’ experiences and also any benefits to patients.
“We have met with senior clinical staff at PRI and they are already involved in this ongoing impact assessment of any change on other services.
“Indeed, the range of measures which will be used in the proposed test were designed with input from PRI clinicians, taking into account their views.
“The test of change will be considered against those measures.
“We will also continue to meet with staff and welcome their continued involvement as we move forward.”