Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, Murdo Fraser, joined local Conservative councillor Angus Forbes to chair a public meeting on the future of GP services in the Carse of Gowrie and specifically the St Madoes surgery last night.
Murdo and Angus were joined by Rob Packham from NHS Tayside Social Care team and officials from the Integrated Joint Board.
Around 70 local residents turned out to have their concerns over surgery services heard, and the clear message from the meeting was that there must be a GP presence in the area.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said;
“It was clear from the attendance tonight how much public interest there is in the future of GP service provision in the west of the Carse, with concerns over the state of the existing surgery building in St Madoes.
“While there are still many questions which cannot be answered at this stage, this was an opportunity for locals to have their say. There was a strong view from the meeting that there needs to be a GP presence in the area, even if it is in a different form from the present.
“Cllr Forbes and I are committed to following up the issues raised with NHS Tayside.”
Commenting Cllr Angus Forbes said;
“I would like to thank Rob Packham and his colleagues from the IJB who attended tonights meeting. I shared the community frustration that many questions still can’t be answered regarding the future of the Health Centre in St Madoes. This is largely a matter of timing, some questions simply don’t have answers yet and others are still the subject of discussion between the various parties that are involved, as we heard tonight this is a process that is taking a very long time.
“What came across clearly to me was that the consultation that was carried out was not sufficient and I welcome the commitment we heard tonight that the consultation would be carried out again on a wider scale. We also learned that the current contract to run a medical centre in St Madoes is still in place and any changes to that service would go through public consultation. Mr Packham also agreed to attend a future public meeting in the new year when more information will be available.
“Everyone I spoke to tonight was keen to praise the quality of Health Care they receive from the Errol and St Madoes Doctors.”