Closures of the accident and emergency department at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, appear to be at an end after a leading health board figure gave assurances to a Fife MSP.
Tricia Marwick, MSP for Central Fife, has been told by John Wilson, chief executive of NHS Fife’s operational division, that Victoria’s A&E services will be restored to normal after cases were diverted to Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline on several occasions in recent months.
The Victoria unit has been downgraded to a minor injuries unit several times this year as part of overnight contingency plans drawn up in response to a shortage of doctors.
Difficulties drawing up out-of-hours rotas for junior doctors at both Victoria and Queen Margaret caused by EU restrictions on working hours and problems finding locums to cover were said to be behind the measures.
However, after Mr Wilson and Mrs Marwick met this week, the end of this matter appears to have been reached with the recruitment of several junior doctors by NHS Fife.
After the meeting, Mrs Marwick said, “Mr Wilson has told me the junior doctor recruitment in Fife has been successful and normal service will be resumed with A&E services being delivered at both Victoria and Queen Margaret hospitals.
“In the many meetings I have had with Fife Health Board, I made it absolutely clear that any closure of the Victoria A&E department should be a last resort. But it became apparent that this had become the norm.
“Following the recruitment of these junior doctors starting this month, I am now told there will be a period of stability at the A&E in Kirkcaldy.”
Mrs Marwick and Kirkcaldy MSP Marilyn Livingstone have been united in their concerns over the repeated downgrading of the A&E department, despite being assured that patient safety was not being compromised.
NHS Fife also promised both MSPs that the downgrading was due to no other reason than staff recruitment and now this had been addressed, Mrs Marwick hopes patient care can return to the top of the agenda.
She said, “I am pleased the representations I have been making to Fife Health Board have resulted in more junior doctors being recruited in Fife.
“The main issue has always been patient safety and I now hope opposition politicians in Fife stop using our NHS service as a political football.
“Thousands of Fifers rely daily on the tireless work of our doctors and nurses and they deserve full support for the service they provide.”
Councillor Andrew Rodger has been an ardent campaigner against the repeated downgrading of the A&E department and held a silent protest at the hospital earlier this week.
Yesterday, Mr Rodger welcomed the end of the staffing shortages and said he believed health secretary Nicola Sturgeon had almost certainly been involved in the process.
He said, “I’m pleased for Fife patients and hope that my protests have helped to make things better.
“I think the health minister has intervened as the situation was unacceptable. While I accept A&E will be fully manned, I won’t stand by and watch beds being closed down while patients are still lying on trollies.”
Yesterday, an NHS Fife spokesperson confirmed the appointment of new junior doctors and said the health authority did not expect to have to downgrade the A&E unit at the Victoria Hospital any time soon.
A statement read, “A&E at Victoria Hospital has never closed.
“Its service has been restricted on several occasions to minor injuries, but that has still meant roughly 80% of expected numbers could continue to be seen.
“The national recruitment round has resulted in NHS Fife having 21.6 WTE (whole time equivalent) junior doctors in A&E.
“We do not expect, allowing for some A&E locum use at normal levels, to have to operate the contingency.
“The junior medical rota is full and able to sustain acute medical admissions on both sites.”