NHS Tayside has been slammed for its decision to close a department at the main hospital in Angus.
The decontamination of all medical instruments used at Stracathro Hospital near Brechin will be centralised to the large unit at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
Members of staff at the unit have been informed of its closure, while bosses have yet to decide on a date to pull the shutters.
The board has promised these changes will have “absolutely no impact” on Angus patients who have procedures there.
The Dundee facility already cleans 12 million instruments for Tayside and Fife health boards every year.
Local councillor David May, who has spoken out on the possibility of another Stracathro asset shutting – the Susan Carnegie Unit for acute mental health admissions – said the move is a step towards centralisation.
He said: “This is very much part of the centralisation agenda of the Scottish Government and Tayside Health Board.
“My concern for years is that Tayside Health Board make the decisions like this in private without any openness and transparency.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said changes are being made to decontamination arrangements across the region, and key members of the NHS/council integrated joint board had been briefed on the impending changes.
“As part of these changes, medical and surgical instruments currently decontaminated at Stracathro Hospital will be processed and sterilised at the Ninewells Central Decontamination Unit in the future,” she added.
“However, this change has absolutely no impact on any patients treated at Stracathro or on any of the services currently delivered there.
“All surgical procedures and services will continue as usual and patients will continue to be treated at Stracathro.
“NHS Tayside is working closely with the small number of staff affected by this change, who will all be supported to other roles within the organisation.
“The Ninewells Central Decontamination Unit, which offers a larger capacity and longer operating hours than the current service, is one of the largest in the UK and processes around 12 million items annually for NHS Tayside and NHS Fife.”
