Dumbarton constituency MSP, Jackie Baillie, has urged local patients to ask for appointments at the Vale of Leven hospital as the health board confirm that patients will be offered appointments at the site where possible.

A letter from Jane Grant, Chief Executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, responded to concerns from the MSP that patients from the Vale of Leven hospital catchment area are being sent to hospitals in Paisley or beyond for routine appointments, when they could have been seen at the Vale.

This follows the case of a local woman who was offered appointments at the RAH in Paisley and hospitals in Glasgow, when the procedure could have been done at the Vale of Leven hospital a week earlier.

The health board’s Chief Executive confirmed that:
“Patients who are added to the waiting list for the Vale of Leven Hospital (VoL) will be offered the VoL site, where possible, in the first instance.”

Jackie said:

“I have been told story after story of patients from our area who are being expected to travel to Paisley or even into Glasgow for treatment which could be done at the Vale.

“The health board has now confirmed that patients who ask for the Vale of Leven hospital will be treated there if the service is available.

“While I realise that for some patients waiting simply is not an option and they have to accept the first available appointment they are offered, I also know that for many people the convenience of being seen at the Vale is much more crucial than an early appointment. It is also the case that being seen at the Vale can often be quicker.

“I would encourage patients who wish to be seen at the Vale to make sure that they stipulate this when booking appointments so that the Vale becomes the first site offered to people in our community.”