Moray MP Douglas Ross says patients in the Speyside and Keith areas are continuing to be let down by NHS Grampian when it comes to accessing vital health services.
Douglas had written to the health board raising concerns from constituents in Ballindalloch that they were being forced into making 70-mile round trips to access X-Ray services at Dr Gray’s in Elgin, due to services in Dufftown not being available.
They are also concerned that they may have to travel even further to Forres, with upgrades planned in relation to X-Ray services at Dr Gray’s.
However, Douglas has now received a response from health board bosses saying that due to staff shortages the x-ray services at Stephen Hospital or Turner Memorial Hospital are not available and this will only be reviewed once works are completed at Dr Gray’s early next year.
Douglas says there is a danger the health board are forgetting about the most rural areas of his constituency and with a lack of public transport available, this is only putting elderly and vulnerable patients at more risk in having to travel such long distances for appointments.
He says the staff shortages stem from years of chronic underfunding by both NHS Grampian and the SNP Government and this needs to be urgently reversed.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “This response from the health board is deeply disappointing. Patients in Speyside and Keith areas have consistently raised concerns with me about the lengthy journeys they are having to undertake to attend X-Ray appointments at Dr Gray’s.
“Given we are beyond the pandemic, it is completely understandable that they would expect once again to be able to access vital health services in their own community.
“It is completely unacceptable that is not going to happen anytime soon, by the looks of it. The situation may get even worse when upgrades are taking place at Dr Gray’s meaning patients will have to go to Forres.
“Years of chronic underfunding from NHS Grampian and the SNP Government are continuing to bite in our most rural and remote communities in Moray and there is a real danger they are being forgotten about.
“This sort of situation cannot go on, especially given the lack of public transport in these communities meaning strenuous trips for elderly and vulnerable patients.
“I will be continuing to push NHS Grampian to ensure that patients in these communities can once again get their medical treatment as close to home as possible.”