Moray MP Douglas Ross raises locals' healthcare concerns with Dr Gray’s Hospital managers
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MORAY'S MP has raised a number of locals' healthcare concerns during a meeting with Dr Gray's Hospital chiefs.
Conservative Douglas Ross met members of the senior management team, including general manager Alasdair Pattinson, clinical director Jamie Hogg and chief nurse Sam Thomas, on Friday, October 29, to discuss ongoing and emerging issues at the Elgin hospital.
Mr Ross said a "high volume of concerns" had been brought to him by constituents.
He said: "It was good to have the opportunity to meet with the senior management team at Dr Gray’s and have an open and frank discussion about matters I’ve been raising on behalf of local constituents, including emerging issues related to the hospital.
"It was also another chance for me to thank all the staff, the doctors, the nurses and the support team at the hospital for their outstanding work throughout the Covid pandemic in what has been an unprecedented time for the health service in general.
"I was able to raise many of the wide-ranging concerns constituents had contacted me about."
He added: "It will come as no surprise that waiting times for orthopaedics operations were top of the agenda. This issue was acknowledged and accepted by the management team as being an area they are currently focusing on in an effort to reduce the length of time hundreds of patients are having to wait.
"I was pleased to hear that the team at Dr Gray’s had plans in place to deal with some of the more challenging issues facing them.
"I also took the opportunity to raise the lack of a consultant-led maternity unit in Elgin. While we expect the independent review to announce their finding this month, it will fall on the local team at the hospital to deliver the service we hope will be reintroduced.
"Overall, I was happy that the meeting was positive and productive. However, due to the high volume of concerns raised with me, there is clearly still a lot more work required to ensure patients in Moray get the level of care they expect.
"We also have to be braced for a very difficult winter for the NHS across the country and Moray will not be immune to that.
"I know local people will do all they can to support the teams at Dr Gray’s to deliver the best possible service."
