A public consultation into the proposed closure of the Glenrothes out-of-hours GP service has been branded biased.
Members of Glenrothes and North East Fife Community Health Partnership (CHP) have claimed that the process was heavily weighted to ensure health bosses achieved their desired outcome.
The allegations were made as the partnership met to discuss a progress report on the future of the service ahead of a final decsion by the full NHS Fife board next month.
The report was handed to members just minutes before the meeting, sparking concerns that they had not been given time to read it properly or compile a united response for the board.
They also expressed disquiet that important information, such as GPs’ views on the issue and the consequences of options other than complete closure or maintaining the staus quo, was not included in the paper.
NHS Fife wants to transfer services from Glenrothes Hospital to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, saying it makes clinical sense to have it next to other services, such as accident and emergency.
The move would also save £200,000 a year from a budget of £4.3 million.
A decision was originally due to be made by Dunfermline and West Fife CHP a year ago after the health board ruled that closing the Glenrothes base did not constitute a major service change. But following a public outcry, it was agreed that further consultation was needed and the full NHS board would make the decision.
A number of other options are also being considered, including transferring the service to Kirkcaldy overnight and at weekends only and creating a minor injuries unit in Glenrothes.
Following a workshop, which involved just five members of the public, an options appraisal was drawn up and presented at a series of meetings. The most favoured option was transfer of the full service.
However, at yesterday’s meeting, non-executive member Margaret Harper said she had a number of concerns, adding: “I am concerned about the last-minute tabling of this paper.
“My other concern, as a member of this committee, is this paper is very biased about closing down the out-of-hours service. It gives us information about patient safety but doesn’t go into further details about how it was addressed and what was talked about.
“If there are concerns about patient safety, we need to know what they are and how they can be addressed.”
CHP localities manager Lesley Eydmann, who presented the paper to the committee, said GPs had been consulted and their views were included on the NHS Fife website.
“There are some mixed views coming from clinicians,” she added.
The Glenrothes service serves around 10,000 people in the town, as well as in Levenmouth and the Howe of Fife, and deals with 8,772 patients per year.
Campaigners fear locals will be hit by longer journeys, with those without transport facing particular difficulties.