Jackie Baillie MSP The official website of Scottish Labour Deputy Leader, Jackie Baillie MSP.
The number of cancelled clinics at the Vale of Leven Hospital has tripled on the SNP’s watch according to new figures obtained by Jackie Baillie.
Jackie Baillie uncovered the official figures from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board under Freedom of Information laws.
The figures reveal that there were 739 cancellations in 2014/15, a 200% increase since 2012/13 when 242 clinics were cancelled at the Vale of Leven Hospital. A total of 1650 clinics have been cancelled in the last three full years for which figures have been made available.
The orthopaedics clinic suffered the highest number of cancellations in recent years with 250 scheduled clinics cancelled since 2012.
The provision of clinics was a key part of the Vision for the Vale and Jackie Baillie says the sharp increase in cancellations is a disappointing sign of the SNP Government’s failure to deliver on its promises to protect local health services.
Jackie said:
“The provision of clinics was supposed to be a key part of the Vision for the Vale which the SNP said would protect our local health services. Despite all the promises, these new figures show that clinic cancellations have actually tripled on the SNP’s watch. It is simply unacceptable that hundreds of local patients are waiting longer and travelling further away for health services which should be provided at our local hospital.
“I welcomed the Vision for the Vale at the time but under the SNP our NHS staff and local patients are trapped in an endless cycle of cuts. The sharp rise in clinic cancellations is only the tip of the iceberg. We have already lost ward 6 and the blood clinic, the maternity unit has been downgraded, junior doctor posts have been left vacant, medical labs transferred to the RAH, and right now the health board is demolishing the old Christie ward. And yet even after all these cuts local people are being kept in the dark until after the election over where the axe will fall next.
“It’s time to stop the cuts to our local services and give the hardworking staff at the Vale the resources to care for the health needs of people in Dumbarton, Alexandria and Helensburgh.”