Fundraisers for an Angus hospital have demanded answers over the uncertainty surrounding its future.
Rumours are circulating in Arbroath that Little Cairnie Hospital is to close following a review of medical services in the South Angus area by NHS Tayside.
The health board has maintained that no decision has been taken on the future of the hospital but those close to staff there have said that employees have been told the axe is set to fall.
League of Friends of Little Cairnie Hospital and Arbroath Infirmary president Jacqueline Cargill said: “It is not talk. The staff have already been told and have known for at least a month. It came as a bolt from the blue.
“It is a very great blow to the town. We don’t have a date yet for the closure, it could be quite imminent or it could be five months from now there has been no further information passed to me.”
Carol Shand, owner of Tutties Neuk Inn in Arbroath, said she had heard the same information and is demanding clarity from NHS Tayside.
“I’m trying to get a meeting set up with the health board because they are not committing themselves to saying what is going on,” she said.
Carol has been fundraising for the facility after her brother Graham Beattie died at the hospital following a fight with cancer.
“I’ve been told that staff have been re-allocated to other jobs so I would like to know what’s going on.
“I lost my brother there a year and a half ago and I got the shock of my life when I heard the rumours. I just can’t believe that there is a possibility it could close.
“It’s such a beautiful hospital and so many people in this town need it and have raised money for it. I want to know what’s happening.”
Arbroath West and Letham councillor David Fairweather said that he had heard the same rumours and expressed concern over the future of the facility.
“When people are saying that they are reviewing something, the next step is very often that it will be closed,” said Mr Fairweather.
“The quicker they can come back to us either way the better and I’m hoping it will be that it remains open.”
An NHS Tayside spokeswoman said the review is still in progress and its aim is to find ways to “improve” services in the area.
“We are currently in the middle of carrying out a review of all the services that are provided at Little Cairnie as part of an ongoing review of all NHS sites in South Angus,” she said.
“We have been working closely with local patients, public partners and staff looking at options to identify improvement steps so that we can continue to deliver an increased range of services locally to the people of South Angus.
“For the last six years there has been a major improvement programme called the community medicine and rehabilitation redesign programme ongoing in Angus.
“This has involved many patients and families and staff across the whole of Angus who have helped shape and inform the improvements which have included improved local access to specialists working in medicine for the elderly and dementia and increased support delivered in the community for people living with long term conditions.
“This has resulted in many more patients being treated locally with fewer days spent in hospital.
“What this means is that people are staying well for longer and we have a decreased need for beds but an increased need for local rapid access for day treatment and assessment and more intensive hospital-at-home type services which we need to provide in partnership with Angus Council social work department.
“We will continue to engage with the local communities in South Angus to identify improvement options and welcome comments.”
Comments can be emailed to anguscommunityservices.tayside@nhs.net.