Frustration has been expressed after plans for a new health centre in Lochgelly were beset by further delays.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman has revealed a “refreshed” business case for the £6 million new building will be submitted to the Scottish Government this summer for review by the NHS capital investment group, paving the way for the facility to be sited in Francis Street as previously envisaged.
With a so-called initial agreement document submitted to officials more than 18 months ago, Cowdenbeath SNP MSP Annabelle Ewing has now challenged them to clarify exactly when Lochgelly locals can expect their much-needed new resource.
Suggesting the people of Lochgelly will be “somewhat puzzled” by the turn of events, Mrs Ewing has used a general question at Holyrood to urge Ms Freeman to outline the timescale.
In response, the health secretary said, while she could understand Ms Ewing’s frustration, she is looking forward to receiving revised plans to take the project forward.
“To reshape and strengthen the business case, NHS Fife and the Fife health and social care partnership have been working closely with the Scottish Government’s primary care team and the Scottish Futures Trust to ensure that the business case is more appropriately focused on a community-based approach that is embedded in primary care,” she explained.
“The approach will add somewhat to the timeline, but should mean that we receive a better and more comprehensive proposal.
“The revised business case is almost complete and is about to go through the local governance review process before it is submitted to the NHS capital investment group later in the summer.”
Conservative Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Alexander Stewart welcomed the new centre but suggested that the wider GP crisis was currently causing “major difficulties” for people, with reports of 18 practices having closed lists.
Ms Freeman though urged Mr Stewart to “dial back on the hyperbole” and highlighted the ongoing work to ease the situation.
“As Alexander Stewart knows, a considerable amount of work is going on involving Sir Lewis Ritchie and the Fife health and social care partnership in discussions with GPs in the north-east of Fife to ensure that we have an equitable distribution of GP services around Fife, taking account of challenges in certain rural parts of that area.
“I am sure that Alexander Stewart is also aware of the increase in the number of undergraduate medical places, the introduction of significant additional packages to encourage GP relocation and the Scottish graduate entry medicine course, which delivers postgraduate medical training in Fife, all of which is focused on increasing the number of GPs.”
The Francis Street site was chosen as the preferred option by NHS Fife in a bid to further enhance the town centre area.
Board members heard how the Cowdenbeath locality area, which encompasses Lochgelly, is within the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland and reported more than 1,000 more individuals living with a mental health condition compared to Fife overall per 100,000 population.
