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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Kathryn Anderson

Objections raised over plans to permanently close GP surgery in Blair Atholl

A number of residents and the local community council have objected to plans to permanently close the GP surgery in Blair Atholl.

Objections have been raised over a lack of public transport and an ageing population who now have to travel to Pitlochry for appointments.

Atholl Medical Practice has made a request to NHS Tayside's board to vary its General Medical Services (GMS) contract to allow the permanent closure of the Blair Atholl branch.

Like a number of local practices, Atholl Medical Practice has faced difficulties recruiting GPs. The practice has proposed to consolidate all its services onto one site eight miles away at Atholl Medical Centre in Pitlochry.

It currently has one full-time GP, three part-time GPs and has just recruited a locum for six months.

Services at the Blair Atholl surgery stopped in March 2020 due to the pandemic and pressures on the practice.

The Blair Atholl branch surgery currently has a patient list size of 4,923 patients. There is no chemist, optometrist or dentist in Blair Atholl. All of these services are provided in Pitlochry.

In June 2021 Atholl Medical Practice wrote to NHS Tayside and submitted a formal application in September 2021 to request to close the Blair Atholl branch.

In March 2022 the practice agreed to carry out a public consultation. This began in June 2022 and was completed in September 2022.

A report on the findings of the consultation and engagement exercise will go before the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board on Wednesday, October 26.

The report reveals only three of the 22 written comments expressed no concerns about the closure. Out of the remaining 19 responses, 18 objected on the grounds of the lack of public transport. And 15 were concerned about the impact on the "unusually high" percentage of elderly people in Blair Atholl.

The objection from Blair Atholl and Struan Community Council said: "It is difficult for residents to access the proposed surgery by public transport, given the restricted bus service and the almost non-existent (and expensive) train service.

"Many of those who need medical care do not own or drive cars; the Blair Atholl and Struan catchment area has an unusually high percentage of older people (and especially, very elderly people and people living with infirmity).

"It is also extremely difficult for parents with young children to manage appointments in Pitlochry."

The IJB has been asked to note the consultation responses when it meets this week.

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