Menu
 
Home | News | Closure claim denied
 
News | 28th June 2020
 

Closure claim denied

But NHS says it must adapt to meet threat of a second

 
 
 

CLAIMS are being made that the NHS in Dumfries and Galloway is holding secret talks over the possible closures of cottage hospitals.

This includes the Thomas Hope Hospital in Langholm.
David Mundell, MP, and Oliver Mundell, MSP, who both represent the town, have called on NHS Dumfries & Galloway to commit to the long-term future of cottage hospitals after rumours of plans to close some of them circulated.

They were contacted by a number of well-informed constituents who were concerned that discussions to axe the much-valued community beds were taking place behind closed doors, without public consultation.

The suggestion has been made that the hospitals are no longer fit for purposes or needed in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

They believe it is too early to make that kind of assessment and are worried that this may just be the latest in a long line of excuses for trying to shut their doors. 

They have written to Jeff Ace, chief executive, asking him to dispel the claims and confirm that no plans to permanently close the hospitals in Moffat, Annan, Langholm, Thornhill and Lochmaben are under discussion.

Oliver Mundell has also lodged parliamentary questions at Holyrood to seek assurances from the government that major changes to service delivery should not go ahead without consultation and should not take place during a global health pandemic.

David Mundell said: “I have lost count of how many times these hospitals have been threatened with closure in recent years and I’m concerned to hear from constituents that plans may be afoot to do so at this time. 

“The virus outbreak will have an impact on how health services are delivered but this cannot be used as a justification for closures.”

Oliver Mundell added: “People will be worried to hear that such a major redesign of health services could be underway without any consultation. 

“The hospitals and their staff do an exceptional job for communities and allow people to receive treatment and care closer to home. 

“Getting NHS services back to normal should be the first priority at this time and big decisions like this should be kicked into the long grass until there is time to properly engage with residents.”

An NHS Dumfries & Galloway spokesman said: “We believe these concerns result from a decision to task four cottage hospitals to serve as dedicated step-down facilities for treating COVID-19 patients as part of escalation plans to address the coronavirus.

“We have been fortunate that we did not have the number of cases of COVID-19 here in the first wave which we might have expected.

“We attribute this to fantastic ongoing public compliance with national guidance and the work undertaken to suppress replication, now backed by Test and Protect.

“A consequence of these low numbers of cases is that we have not had to rely on these four dedicated hospitals in Kirkcudbright, Moffat, Thornhill and Newton Stewart.

“While they might have been among the busiest if we had experienced a high number of cases, the resulting lack of activity has given rise to concerns over their usage.

“While we have not yet had to rely on them, we remain in a precarious position.

“There is a possibility of a second wave of infections, faced by a population which has had little exposure to the virus and has very little resistance.

“Arrangements for those four hospitals to stand ready as step-down facilities remain in place.

“Staff, who would normally work in the cottage hospitals, are temporarily supporting either other cottage hospitals or the community nursing teams.

“They are also positioned to support care homes in the event of staffing shortages because of COVID-19.

“It would be difficult to overstate the effect that COVID-19 has had on every health and social care service here.

“It is also unavoidable that we will need to adapt and evolve the way services are delivered to minimises the risk of cross-infection to patients and staff.

“There will likely be no service unaffected in some way by this situation and this includes cottage hospitals where layouts can create particular challenges around COVID-19 transmission.

“We are focused on re-establishing services for the most urgent cases, including those, whose wait for treatment has been extended by this emergency.

“A large amount of work is needed on the wider range of services and it’s not realistic to give assurances or commitments over how any service will operate as we continue to adapt.

“Any long-term changes, which result from this adaptation, will be developed in partnership with communities, staff and stakeholders and with proper consultation.”

 
 
Would you like to support us?

The Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser is our community owned local newspaper and even in today’s troubled times, we aim to bring you local news and articles in an impartial, responsible and factual way.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this free article but we need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent and keeps you up to date with what is happening in Eskdale and Liddesdale.

Every reader’s contribution, however big or small, is so valuable to us.
 
 
‘Owned by the Community...Published for the Community’
Do you have a story?

Please get in touch if you have a story or article you would like to see published.

Related Articles

A quality quartet

Another healthy contingent of fine young men put theirnames forward…

 

Eighty years since Victory in Europe

A poignant reminder of resilience and unity rising from adversity…

 

New Post Office opens on Tuesday

It’s countdown now until the new post office opens on…

 

End of Langholm banking era as BoS closes its doors

Scotland’s oldest bank bows out of High Street The Bank…

 

High-powered visitors

Va-va-vroom! Langholm’s Kilngreen had some very special visitors last weekend…

 

Goat group presses Council

Campaigners want protected status David Braithwaite, Chairman of The Wild…

 

20 might be plenty, but is anyone heeding the signs?

Over the years, the Scottish Government has made so many…

 

Highland surprise on the North Coast 500

The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile scenic route around…

 

Preliminary meeting focusses on Townfoot's hole in the ground

Particular issues discussed in advance of June’s public forum In…

 

Victory in Europe (VE) Day commemoration events

Langholm, Ewes and Westerkirk community council is working with Langholm…

 

Return of full Post Office is first-class news for town

Elizabeth and team are all trained up and ready to…

 

Goat petition reaches MPs

4,000 anti-cull signatures handed over Conservative politicians John Lamont MP…

 

A healing moorland…

Sphagnum moss wound dressings during the Second World War By…

 

Heilan’ Coos and Fell Ponies join the Tarras Valley family

The cows and ponies will play their part in restoring…

 

NHS D&G announces massive funding shortfall

Board seeks public support to manage £33.6 million funding gap…

 

4,000 signature petition to be handed to politicians

Oxygen Conservation’s disregard prompted massive response A local petition with…

 

Scottish Woodlands plan ' voluntary' Environmental Impact Assessment for Warblaw

Scottish Woodlands, which has been developing the woodland creation design…

 

As the last bank closes, a Cash Hub opens

Temporary facility will open in Holmspun with better hours of…

 

NatureScot tells the E&L “culling the goats is legal”

Oxygen Conservation lays the blame at Government’s door Part of…

 

New health team sought for Canonbie Surgery

Husband and wife medical partners to hang up their stethoscopes…

 

18-month trial of 20mph has begun

A7 Action Group discuss various issues The A7 Action Group…

 

No caravans or motorhomes to cross Milntown bridge

Far-reaching effect on the community as Ewes Water site has…

 

Confirmation received that cull has already begun

Gilly Fraser delves further into the feral goat debacle Oxygen…

 

Some beautiful moments in LAODS’ latest show

Annie Get Your Gun is chock-full of love, laughter and…

 

2025 Common Riding AGM

New faces in official roles he trustees and members of…

 

Parking restrictions and 20mph limit from next week

By the end of March, the speed limit throughout the…

 

A well-used community resource for over 30 years

Mairi Telford Jammeh takes a look at what goes on…

 

Goat cull company tackled by councillor

Meeting with CEO of Oxygen Conservation requested Councillor Male has…

 

Wheatley has “No plans for housing in Eskdale

Scotland’s second largest social landlord is also “not considering the…

 

Langholm Town Band do well in regionals

By Christine Calvert This weekend saw the latest contest outing…

 

As predicted, D&G raise Council Tax by 9%

Furthermore, they will “implement increases inselected fees and charges relating…

 

Community Council hears from concerned residents

Number of derelict sites in the town is a major…

 

Huge local reaction to news of proposed goat cull

Social media alight and petition raised following announcement by Oxygen…

 

NFUS retiterates its opposition to National Park in Galloway

NFU Scotland has once again made clear its opposition to…

 

D-day for Council Tax rises across the area

Dumfries and Galloway Council will make decisions today about the…

 

THEY'RE GOING TO CULL THE GOATS!

In what will be a hugely unpopular decision, Oxygen Conservation…

 

Sitka spruce going, going, gone!

A big task for the Tarras Valley team over the…

 

D&G Council Tax set to rise between 5 to 10%

…and the same for Water Rates…possibly 9%. Budgets are to…

 

Caroline Street is still railing against its railings

As angle of fence increases, council budgets for repairs to…

 

U15 gold medal for Langholm’s Aoiffion

Amazing 12 year old athlete makes her mark in her…

 
 
Kelso Races
requires mailchimp logins and wired up to a list
Join our mailing list
Keep up to date with all that’s going on at the E&L
This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. We use necessary cookies to make sure that our website works. We’d also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. By clicking “Allow All”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
These cookies are required for basic functionalities such as accessing secure areas of the website, remembering previous actions and facilitating the proper display of the website. Necessary cookies are often exempt from requiring user consent as they do not collect personal data and are crucial for the website to perform its core functions.
A “preferences” cookie is used to remember user preferences and settings on a website. These cookies enhance the user experience by allowing the website to remember choices such as language preferences, font size, layout customization, and other similar settings. Preference cookies are not strictly necessary for the basic functioning of the website but contribute to a more personalised and convenient browsing experience for users.
A “statistics” cookie typically refers to cookies that are used to collect anonymous data about how visitors interact with a website. These cookies help website owners understand how users navigate their site, which pages are most frequently visited, how long users spend on each page, and similar metrics. The data collected by statistics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not contain personally identifiable information (PII).
Marketing cookies are used to track user behaviour across websites, allowing advertisers to deliver targeted advertisements based on the user’s interests and preferences. These cookies collect data such as browsing history and interactions with ads to create user profiles. While essential for effective online advertising, obtaining user consent is crucial to comply with privacy regulations.