Moray MP Douglas Ross says he is “deeply concerned” that nearly £80 million worth of cuts at NHS Grampian have forced changes to a 10-year plan for Dr Gray’s.
Those behind the plan – which was agreed in June 2022 – say that the “unprecedented” pressure on their finances have forced them to rethink what was outlined two years ago.
Now they are looking at which surgeries are offered at Dr Gray’s, how beds are allocated across departments and how the public access A&E services.
However, they have insisted that the cuts do not mean any changes to the plan to fully restore consultant-led maternity services by 2026, which Douglas has relentlessly campaigned to be put in place ever since they were downgraded in 2018.
Douglas says the blame lies firmly with successive SNP health secretaries whose dire workforce planning has left NHS Grampian – and Dr Gray’s dangerously short of staff – and their financial mismanagement has meant they have failed to support the health board with the resources they require.
He says people across Moray will be alarmed at the reworking of the plan for Dr Gray’s so soon into its inception and what it will mean for suffering patients and dedicated frontline staff.
Douglas added that the “devastating” cuts are another example of how rural areas bear the brunt of the SNP’s failure to fully fund frontline services.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “I am deeply concerned at the eye-watering scale of the cuts announced by NHS Grampian and what it will mean for the long-term plans for Dr Gray’s.
“Like myself, I know constituents will be alarmed that these cuts have left those behind the plan with little option but to rethink how it will be delivered, only two years after it was published.
“The blame for these cuts of almost £80 million lies firmly with the SNP Government. Successive SNP health secretaries dire workforce planning have left Dr Gray’s dangerously short of staff and they have repeatedly failed to ensure our flagship Moray hospital has the resources it requires for patients care.
“Typically it is rural healthcare services who are bearing the brunt of these devastating cuts. I will be closely monitoring what these cuts will mean for patients and dedicated staff, particularly if there is any hint of the time slipping again on the restoration of consultant-led maternity services.
“That would be a hammer blow for expectant Moray mums who cannot become victims of these cuts.”