Glenrothes politicians have made a last-ditch plea to save the town’s out-of-hours GP service.
MP Lindsay Roy and MSP Tricia Marwick say retention of the closure-threatened service at Glenrothes Hospital is not only in the best interests of people in its catchment area but everyone in Fife.
The pair have submitted a detailed submission to NHS Fife, urging it to keep the service ahead of a decision on its future on August 27.
Closure is one of a number of options to be considered by the board but it has been made clear by senior NHS representatives that they want to move the service to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, where there is access to other clinical services including accident and emergency.
Mr Roy and Mrs Marwick argue that the service is highly thought of and ask for investment so that it remains fit for purpose.
In their joint submission to NHS Fife, chairman Allan Burns, they conclude: “We firmly believe that continuation of the OOHGP service in Glenrothes is in the best interests of the population in Fife and the Glenrothes catchment in particular.
“Hence, we urge that due weight is given to the unanimous views expressed in the consultation and the arguments put forward to keep the service in Glenrothes open.
“We wholeheartedly urge that NHS Fife supports the retention of the service within the overall PCES (primary care emergency service) provision for Fife.”
Mr Roy said: “Tricia and I fully support NHS Fife in providing the highest quality of health care and accept a review of the service was necessary in the light of updated Scottish health department guidance.
“However, although this states that ideally a PCES should be sited next to a minor injuries or A&E unit, it also makes clear that there are other important considerations such as inconvenience to users and increased travelling time.
“This, together with the quality of the existing service and the clearly expressed wish of local people to retain it, must be taken fully into consideration by the NHS Fife board when they decide on its future.”
Mrs Marwick said: “It is abundantly clear that the people who matter, ie those who are likely to use the service, wanted it kept at Glenrothes Hospital and not moved miles away to Kirkcaldy.
“It is essential that their views and the evidence we have presented in our joint submission is taken into account by board members.”