MSP Jackie Baillie has called on the board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to clarify the impact that service changes will have on the Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria.
The ‘Moving Forward Together’ report was approved this week, but Ms Baillie says the health board has been silent on the impact it will have on individual hospitals throughout the area, with no clarity on what services may be removed from the Vale of Leven hospital, and where patients will have to go to access these services.
The health board has responded by saying care would be delivered ‘as close to home as possible’ and work would now begin in detailed proposals.
Ms Baillie, the Labour MSP for the Dumbarton constituency, is also asking the health board to ensure there is a full consultation with the public and stakeholders and that the decision is taken by the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport due to the potential for significant service change associated with this decision.
She said there would be ‘wholesale change in health service delivery locally.
“The health board has not provided any clarity to patients in my constituency, or across the area, about the potential impact that this decision will have on local hospitals – I am demanding to know what this means for the Vale of Leven hospital,” she added.
“It is clear that patients need to know how these service changes will affect them and I am calling on the health board to provide full transparency in relation to this decision and undertake a full consultation process with members of the public and stakeholders.
“I have asked for an urgent meeting with the health board chief executive as they cannot sweep this under the carpet. Local people deserve detailed answers about the implications for local services.”
A health board spokesperson said Moving Forward Together was a blueprint for meeting future health and social care needs, and there would be ‘full engagement’ with staff and the public.
She added: “It describes how care will be delivered through an integrated network of primary, community and hospital-based services working to support people to live longer, healthier lives in their own homes and communities and to promote self-management and independence.
“Care shall be delivered as close to home as possible, supported by a network of community services with safe, effective and timely access to high quality specialist services for those whose needs cannot be met in the community.
“Now that the overall strategy has been approved, work will begin, in partnership with our stakeholders, to develop a series of fully detailed proposals for consideration.
“An early focus will be on determining the maximum potential of our community services to deliver care to our population in their communities and the consequences of that on the future services within hospitals and other specialist services.”
“Throughout the development of the strategy we have engaged extensively with public representatives and our staff and were pleased to present the strategy to Ms Baillie and other MSPs at a recent meeting.
“We will ensure that all our stakeholders continue to be involved as we move forward to implement our vision for the future delivery of services.”
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