SANDRA OSBORNE MP meets NHS Ayrshire & Arran Chairman on A&E proposals for Ayr Hospital

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock MP, Sandra Osborne, has met with Professor George Irving, Chairman of NHS Ayrshire and Arran to raise her concerns about possible removal of provision for acute emergencies.

Sandra said,

“The decision on the future of Hospital Accident and Emergency services in Ayrshire is a vital one for our local community.

There is a clear need for a substantial improvement to the current A & E service in terms of clinical care, which must always be of the utmost importance.  The question is how the necessary improvements in service can be achieved.

The location of A & E is undoubtedly the most controversial decision and the public should have the chance to hear the arguments and put forward their views.

I believe that both Ayr and Crosshouse Hospital have a critical role to play in serving the Ayrshire community.  I am determined that people should be able to turn up at either hospital in an emergency situation even if, as happens at present, a medical assessment then establishes that their specialist needs are best met by transfer to another facility.

I have previously had assurances from the Health Board that there was no plan to close A&E at Ayr.  Certainly the question of proximity to Glasgow should not be the major consideration as both Crosshouse and Ayr Hospital serve the Ayrshire community, not the city region.

The priority for the Health Service should be to meet the needs of the community it serves - not the convenience of consultants.

I am delighted at the proposal for community based casualty facilities in Girvan and Cumnock which will greatly enhance local health services in these areas and also at the possibility of better emergency mental health and cancer services which are long overdue.

However, I am very concerned that my constituents in the Doon Valley are being left out and would still need to travel to Ayr to access the Community Casualty Facility at Ayr Hospital. This is not bringing services closer to their local community. The same situation applies in the Maybole area.

The Chairman of the Health Board has assured me that no decisions have been made. However, this can only be a genuine open process if the option to keep an Acute Emergency Facility at Ayr Hospital remains in the consultation.’