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Local Ambulance Provision: More Changes

The proposal in early May to take away the lifeline of a Rapid Response Unit (RRU) from Aberfeldy and relocate it in the new Pitlochry Hospital has triggered an alarmed reaction from Highland Perthshire C’llr Ken Lyall, who has been employed by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) for 13 years based in Pitlochry Ambulance Station.

The councillor said: “I was shocked to hear from a reliable source that NHS Tayside and the SAS management proposing this. The RRU, funded by NHS Tayside, was promised to the communities in the Aberfeldy area when the Out of Hours service started a few years ago. It was also promised to base the OOH general practitioner in the Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital and this has also been relocated 5 nights a week to Pitlochry.

“I am very disturbed that these changes have been made with no consultation with the communities here, indeed a local Ambulance Liaison Group met a fortnight ago and this was not raised by the management.

Huge Gap

“Aberfeldy used to have a dedicated Ambulance, which was relocated to Pitlochry to enable 2 ambulances which could provide 24 hour, 7 days a week cover for the whole of Highland Perthshire. One of these ambulances was cut, with three more being cut in the Perth area, Crieff, Blairgowrie and one in Perth. This leaves a huge gap in provision which the communities unanimously disagreed with.”

A 5000 signature petition has been submitted to the Scottish Parliament calling for the re instatement of the ‘cut’ Pitlochry vehicle, but without success. Now it appears that the service will be cut again with the RRU being relocated to Pitlochry, 16 miles away from Aberfeldy and a great deal further from many other smaller communities in Highland Perthshire.

Communites Neglected

“I have asked both the General Manager of NHS Tayside, Bill Nicoll and the SAS Chief Executive Kevin Doran for an explanation and hopefully a change of heart” continued C’llr Lyall.  “It cannot be in any way fair, or safe, to locate the ambulance, the RRU and the out-of-hours GP in one location in Highland Perthshire. This leaves a huge gap in emergency provision for the many thousands of people who live in other vibrant communities such as Aberfeldy, Kenmore, Fearnan, Glen Lyon, Kinloch Rannoch etc.”

He concluded: “I realise that the RRU is funded by NHS Tayside and not by the SAS and that the managements view will probably be for it to staff the Minor Injuries and Illness Unit in Pitlochry.  That may be well and good, but it is not acceptable to neglect the rest of Highland area. The best option would be to reinstate the second, staffed ambulance as was the case in the past.”

Public Meeting

C'llr Lyall has subsequently contacted the NHS and the SAS advising that he intends to call a public meeting in Aberfeldy with the NHS and SAS management in attendance to explain the proposals to the public. In his letter to them he said: "I understand that the NHS and the SAS have signed up to the Scottish Governments ‘National Standards for Community Engagement’ and as such should not be making such decisions without community consultation.

" I would hope that you would be agreeable to such a meeting in the near future. Available dates for an evening meeting would be appreciated and no change of RRU base be implemented before any such meeting.

"If this change is pushed through what will be put in place to ensure that existing response times will not be reduced?"