Campaigners staged a peaceful protest outside a Fife community hospital as they launched a fight to save its end of life care beds.
Hundreds of people have pledged action to keep the Wellesley Unit at Randolph Wemyss Hospital open, saying they will not stand for any erosion of health services.
A petition is being drawn up calling on Fife Health and Social Care Partnership to reverse Friday’s controversial decision to axe the 10-bedded ward without any public consultation.
Fife Council will also be asked to support a motion urging the partnership to think again.
Health and social care chiefs said they had no option but to recommend the unit’s closure, insisting its future was unsustainable due to a lack of medical cover.
They said a local GP practice that had been carrying out the work was no longer able to do so due to added pressures brought by Covid-19, so patient safety was at stake.
Efforts to secure alternative cover have been unsuccessful and patients will instead be cared for at home, in care homes or at another community hospital.
Labour councillor Ryan Smart insisted more could have been done to find a doctor.
“This was done without any consultation with our community and we can’t let this stand,” he said.
“All members who voted for this should hang their heads in shame.
“Levenmouth has a higher than average elderly population and lower than average car ownership so we need to keep this service here.”
His Labour colleague Colin Davidson said: “We need to get this dreadful decision reversed.
“We understand it’s a challenge to get GP cover but end of life care must be a priority for us all.”
Tam Kirby, Fife Trade Union Council chairman, said there was a fear closing the Wellesley Unit would be the thin end of the wedge.
“We have been protesting against cuts to the Integration Joint Board for the last three years and our worry is what’s going to be next?” he said.
“The partnership is saying it’s part of a wider restructure across the whole of community care but once a thing closes it’s gone for good and it’s never coming back.”
NHS Fife medical director, Dr Chris McKenna, said there was a longer-term move to look after patients at the end of their lives in a more homely setting but that a rapid decision had had to be made on the Wellesley Unit’s future because of the urgent issue over medical cover.
“Medical cover has become unsustainable and this is largely because of pressures in general practice as a result of coronavirus,” he said.
“There are significant pressures within primary care just now which we need them to prioritise.”
As well as end of life care, the unit provides transitional care for people awaiting social care provision and some clinical complex care.
