Save Our Surgeries campaign group to ‘knock’ on door of health bosses after report into closure of Hopeman and Burghead surgeries in Moray published
Campaigners say they will be “knocking” on the door of health bosses after the publication of an independent report into the closure of two doctor’s surgeries.
The surgeries in Burghead and Hopeman have been closed since the Covid pandemic.
The Hopeman GP Surgery was sold last year while the Burghead practice remains empty having only been leased.
Patients, many of them elderly, currently face travelling to the Moray Coast Medical Practice in Lossiemouth despite the fact there is limited public transport to get to the centre.
Some residents face a five-hour return bus trip.
The Save Our Surgeries campaign group have been fighting to reinstate services in the two villages.
The group have expressed anger about how the consultation over the closures was run.
But an independent Scottish Government review has now concluded that Health and Social Care Moray (HSCM) went beyond the minimum requirements for consultations.
It did add, however, that it was easy to see why the community felt “parties were in cahoots about GP closures”.
The report, compiled by interim chief officer of Argyll and Bute’s health and social care partnership, has recommended rules about branch surgery closures are reviewed to provide clearer guidance
Further recommendations include urging HSCM to continue talks about “innovative proposals” which could provide a solution to keeping health services.
It was also recommended that the Moray Integration Joint Board and HSCM continue to engage with the local community.
Save Our Surgeries have welcomed the publication of the report adding that it provides a “clear direction” for the group to “push forward”.
A spokesperson for the group said: “We look forward to cooperation and support from both local health authorities and Scottish Government to work together with the communities to find solutions to the withdrawal of services within our communities which has created burden of care for our people to access health services, in the last 4 years.
“We call on Health and Social Care Moray, MIJB and NHS Grampian to seize this opportunity and path an innovative way to provide sustainable closer to home health provisions for our communities, as soon as possible.
“The MIJB had agreed some time back to meet us after the publication of the report.
“We will now be knocking on their door to welcome us around the table for meaningful discussions on how to find innovative ways within its means and power to reinstate service provisions to our communities.”
The decision to close the surgeries in Hopeman and Burghead was supported by HSCM and was made, according to the organisation, to maintain “safe and effective” care.
Tracy Colyer, chair of the MIJB, said: “The board endorsed the practice’s decision not to return to the branch surgeries only after extensive engagement and consultation, and consideration of all the information presented on ways to mitigate the impact on patients.
“We welcome publication of this independent report and the confirmation of what we have maintained throughout this process - that our decision-making was fair, transparent and followed all appropriate procedures.”
She added: “We thank all those who participated in the review process and hope publication of this independent report will allow us to draw a line under this so we can continue to engage constructively with our communities and work together to improve service delivery.”
The recommendations made in the report will be considered by the MIJB at a meeting in September.
