There is still hope that Invergowrie Medical Practice can be saved from closure after a 566-name petition was submitted.
Patients are unhappy that the GP surgery is due to shut on June 16.
And hundreds signed an appeal that Cllr Alasdair Bailey, ward member for Carse of Gowrie, presented to health chiefs at the council and NHS Tayside.
“I am hopeful some way will be found to keep GP provision in the village,” he said.
Retirements and resignation
NHS Tayside announced in February that the door would permanently close on the Invergowrie practice amid challenges in running the service.
This was due to retirements at both the Ancrum and Invergowrie surgeries, and an inability to recruit new medics.
As a result, just one GP currently manages both practices.
And that doctor resigned from the Invergowrie contract due to concerns over the safety of the arrangement and its sustainability.
The Courier previously reported that a group of representatives from NHS Tayside and the Perth and Kinross and Dundee health and social care partnerships were asked to consider five options.
These included merging Invergowrie with another independent practice and submitting a business case for another GP surgery to take over the practice contract.
‘566 signatures send a strong message’
But with the closure date looming, Cllr Bailey decided to exert pressure on the decision-makers.
He set up a petition and was taken aback by the big response.
“People came up to me in the street, which that shows how strong the feeling is,” he said.
“The 566 signatures send a strong message.
“For those who don’t drive and are elderly it has created anxiety because being put to another GP would mean travelling.
“If it is a surgery in Dundee they would have to go in to the city and back out again because of how the bus routes work.”
Pushing for NHS control
Cllr Bailey is hopeful that NHS Tayside can take direct control of the surgery, just as it did at Arbroath’s Abbey Practice in 2020.
This would enable contracted GPs and locum staff to come in at late notice.
“That is what I am pushing for,” he said.
“I want to see that the community voice is heard and the NHS goes ahead and fills this gap for them.”
MSP’s funding request
John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, raised “some of the very practical issues about transport” in a recent meeting on this topic with representatives of NHS Tayside.
He added: “It is my hope that a sustainable solution can be arrived at that maintains in-person medical services in Invergowrie and causes as little disruption as possible to local residents.
“Alongside these issues about the provision of services, it is essential that GP surgery buildings in Invergowrie and the wider Carse of Gowrie meet a satisfactory standard.
“Investing in the fabric of these buildings will ensure that my constituents receive the quality healthcare services they are entitled to, whilst also ensuring that these practices remain viable over the longer term.
“To that end, I have written to NHS Tayside to request that adequate funding is provided to upgrade and maintain medical buildings within the area.”
NHS Tayside response
NHS Tayside says that the practice will continue to be fully operational with a GP up until Friday, June 16.
The spokesperson added: “NHS Tayside, Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership and Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership are working together to ensure that patients registered at Invergowrie Medical Centre will have continued access to GP and primary care services from 16 June 2023.
“Patients will be kept fully informed of the final arrangements which will ensure they can access safe and sustainable primary care services.”
Conversation