Dozens of people have signed a petition opposing the closure of a ward at a Strathearn hospital.
Residents in Crieff have banded together to try to prevent Ward one (the Dementia Care Unit) at the town’s Community Hospital being axed, with the aim being for it to be returned to a GP-led facility with 20 beds.
Alastair McLean, a former patient at the ward, was so concerned that the facility will close that he stood in James Square, Crieff, recently and encouraged 97 people to signed his petition in three hours.
Mr McLean hopes to collect more support when standing near the Co-op store in Crieff this week.
He made his move as NHS Tayside moves toward more community-based care models.
Mr McLean said: “People were coming up to me recently and saying they had deliberately come into the town that day specifically to sign the petition, which is pleasing and shows the strength of feeling locally.
“They, like me, are very disappointed the ward is closing. Some people had relatives who had stayed there and everyone I spoke to said the staff at the ward, and hospital in general, were all second to none.”
He claimed: “The NHS might not be able to state it in public, but the staff have already been told the ward is going to be closed in its current form, with the staff being relocated elsewhere within NHS Tayside.
“What really angers me the most is the misuse that’s going to be made of the ward when these changes come into force.
“How much is it going to cost to bring about these changes? Why don’t they just put it back to what it was — a 20-bed ward for general admission patients?”
However, Robert Packham, chief officer of the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, commented: “We would like the local community to help us further improve the health and care services we provide.
“A series of community events are currently planned and will be taking place early next year, where the local community will have the opportunity to share their views.”
And a spokesperson for NHS Tayside had said: “The new model of care was introduced following feedback from local people and their families and carers. They told health care professionals they would like more person-centred, local care and more opportunities to access different community groups and services.
“A similar model for south Perthshire is now set to be considered.”
