People in Brechin have been told that no decision has been taken to permanently close Brechin Infirmary.
Assurances were sought on the future of the infirmary at a meeting between healthcare professionals and community representatives.
Questions were asked following NHS Tayside’s decision to close the GP ward at the infirmary, due to a lack of staff cover.
Concern was raised that a decision to close Brechin Infirmary had been already made without public consultation or was part of a “hidden agenda”.
However, Gail Smith, head of health & community care services with Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, told the group that no decision had been made to close the Infirmary.
Attendees also raised a question about the future of Stracathro Hospital and were told that the hospital, including the Stracathro Regional Treatment Centre, remains a key part of NHS Tayside’s service provision and there are absolutely no plans to close it.
Healthcare professionals from the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership and NHS Tayside and representatives from Edzell Health Centre, Brechin Health Centre Patient Participation Groups, North East Angus Locality Improvement Group and Brechin Healthcare Group were at the meeting.
Dr Ian Logan, consultant physician in Stroke Medicine and Medicine for the Elderly, spoke about enhanced community support, which started in Brechin and Edzell yesterday.
The model involves a variety of professionals including GPs, district nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, pharmacists and specialist hospital doctors working together as a single team to support individual patients.
The team aims to provide care and support in the patient’s own home and, where possible, avoid hospital admission by preventing people reaching a health crisis point.
Dr Logan said that this model of care for older people, which is already running in Arbroath and other parts of Angus, means that there are fewer inpatient admissions, fewer delayed discharges and, as a result, fewer hospital beds are required.
He also reassured the group that based on his experience over the last 12 months, there are sufficient beds in the Medicine for the Elderly ward in Stracathro to cope with demand and that over the last year, there had not been any issues admitting patients to either Stracathro or Ninewells if required.
Dr Marc Jacobs, lead of the North East Angus Locality Improvement Group and GP at Edzell Health Centre, said the group will increasingly have the responsibility for decision-making about how local healthcare services will be delivered in the future under Scottish Government plans.
