No ‘magic bullet’ to solve Moray patients' travel problems
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There is no "magic bullet" for solving the travel problems faced by Moray patients who could see their local GP surgeries close for good.
Health and Social Care Moray will begin a 12-week consultation tomorrow to permanently shut the branch surgeries in Burghead and Hopeman.
Run by Moray Coast Medical Practice based in Lossiemouth, both surgeries have been closed since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020.
There is no direct bus connecting the communities to Lossiemouth.
However, the local authority runs a dial-a-bus service although this has to be booked a day in advance.
Councillor John Cowe (Heldon and Laich, Independent) asked at yesterday's meeting of the economic development committee what Moray Council was doing about the problem.
He said: "There is a dial-a-bus service, but there is no Stagecoach service along the coast.
"At the moment if someone wants to get to the practice in Lossiemouth it can be a three-hour return journey, which is totally unacceptable.
"The dial-a-bus service has to be booked the day before, so if an old age pensioner takes ill at 10 o’clock in the morning and needs to see a doctor how does he or she get there?
"What is being done to alleviate this shocking situation?"
Nicola Moss, the council's head of environment and commercial services, admitted there was no "magic bullet" for solving the problem.
She said: "We have moved bus resources around to make sure there is additional vehicle availability for the demand responsive service, to enable greater capacity to get people to the surgery in Lossiemouth.
"The constraints of our existing system in terms of having to book the day before are well-versed.
"We have to be mindful we have limited resources and we have to use resources for the best benefit for all residents of Moray.
"I’m happy to have a discussion, but I don’t want to say there’s a magic bullet out there."
Two public meetings will be held, one in Burghead and another in Hopeman, as part of the consultation.
Results from a community engagement exercise showed strong support for the branch surgeries.
However Moray Coast Medical Practice did not want staff returning to work to the buildings because they are not up to health care standards.
It is estimated it would take £116,000 to upgrade the Burghead premises and £142,000 to fix issues at Hopeman – not including VAT – to bring them up to a suitable condition.
Previously, the two buildings operated on a part-time basis and saw a combined total of 114 patients a week.
NHS Grampian rents the Burghead surgery on Grant Street at a cost of just over £5,840 a year. The lease is due to expire in 2023.
Meanwhile, it is being proposed that the Laich Dental Suite at the Lossiemouth health centre is split into five clinic rooms at a cost of £170,000 in order to provide extra space.
The first public meeting will be held in Hopeman Memorial Hall on Thursday, October 27.
The second will be at Burghead Community Hall on Monday, November 14.
Both will take place from 6.30pm-8pm.
