The number of patients being transferred from Perth Royal Infirmary’s A&E department to other hospitals has tripled in the last seven years, fuelling fears of a downgrade.
Between January and October last year 1,028 people were sent on for treatment elsewhere, including Ninewells in Dundee.
The figure compares to just 377 during the whole of 2013.
The number of transfers away from PRI has risen steadily over the past seven years leading to growing concerns that the hospital is being stripped of specialist medical staff.
Around 3,000 people signed a petition in 2018 warning against the removal of services from the A&E unit at Perth.
The campaign was spearheaded by Murdo Fraser, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife.
He said the latest figures, released by NHS Tayside through an Freedom of Information request, showed patients’ fears were justified.
“These figures tie in with what a lot of my constituents have told me – that PRI doesn’t have enough specialist doctors so many patients who attend their A&E unit end up going to the likes of Ninewells Hospital in Dundee,” said Mr Fraser.
“It also suggests that there has been a downgrading of services at PRI, an issue I have raised before on numerous occasions.”
NHS Tayside has defended the rise in transfers and insists it is committed to the Perth hospital.
The health board recently introduced a new urology one-stop clinic at PRI for patients from across Tayside.
However, it has also prompted concerns with a plan to send Perth and Kinross stroke patients to Dundee to receive life-saving treatment. The hyper-acute stroke admission service at PRI will be closed, so teams can focus on a new centre of excellence at Ninewells. Bosses say the “slicker” stroke service would mean patients are treated faster than they would be in Perth, even taking into account the travel time to Dundee.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Health services and treatments have advanced in line with new technologies and the availability of new procedures.
“Patient pathways have changed to ensure people are seen at the right place and the right time by the right person for their condition.
“The A&E department at PRI is open 24-hours-a-day and, as has been the case for many years, major trauma and more specialist and complex cases are taken to Ninewells Hospital, or other units, to ensure access to specialist care and treatment.
“When this is necessary, patients will return to PRI or to their local community as soon as their condition allows.”
