Locum doctors will maintain a service in Garelochhead following the local GP’s retirement, it has been confirmed.
MSP Jackie Baillie has received confirmation from NHS Highland that people in Garelochhead will continue to be able to access GP services when Dr James McKelvie retires at the end of the month.
Jackie sought clarity from NHS Highland after patients got in touch with her to complain that they were being left in the dark over the future of the service.
This week, in a letter to the Dumbarton constituency MSP, NHS Highland confirmed that Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership will take responsibility for managing the GP practice with immediate effect on July 1.
Temporary locum doctors will provide services at Garelochhead Medical Practice on an interim basis until the health board recruits a long-term replacement for Dr McKelvie.
Jackie said: “I welcome the temporary arrangements that have been put in place to ensure the continuity of GP services as this will allay fears among a number of local people that patients in Garelochhead would have to travel to Helensburgh or the peninsula to access a GP.
“That said, locum doctors are more expensive for the health board and it is far from ideal for local patients.
“The health board needs to act fast to find a suitable long-term replacement for Dr McKelvie. Garelochhead needs a full-time GP practice to serve the needs of local families and the health board must pull out all the stops to ensure that GP services continue to be provided locally for many years to come.”
NHS Highland chief executive Elaine Mead told Ms Baillie that the locums would be ‘an interim arrangement’, and a letter would be sent to all patients confirming this.
“An advert will be placed in the British Medical journal in the coming weeks , inviting applications for the provision of primary medical services in Garelochhead,,” she added.
“I can also advise that community members will be asked to participate in the interview process.”
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