A Perthshire councillor said the Scottish Government has taken “zero interest” in reviewing the process which led to the closure of Invergowrie Medical Practice.
Carse of Gowrie Bailie Alasdair Bailey wrote to health secretary Michael Matheson on June 1 urging him to probe the decision given no official community consultation took place.
In his letter, the labour representative highlighted that the Scottish Government’s own website backs up his claims that the requirements set for community feedback were not met.
He alluded to the “Health and social care - Planning with People” page - which states: “NHS boards, local authorities and integration joint boards are required to make decisions about how any proposed service changes and developments should be taken forward.
“Overall, the decision-making process must be transparent and clearly demonstrate that the views of communities have been taken into account.”
A letter in response signed by Michael Matheson, seen by the PA, however claims ministers are “unable to intervene” in these decision-making processes.
It reads: “Whilst Scottish ministers set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for service delivery rests locally with health boards and GP practices.
“Practices are contracted to provide general medical services by their local health board, and not the Scottish Government.
“As such, Scottish ministers are unable to intervene in the arrangements of individual practices.
“GP practice closures are uncommon, however, in these circumstances the local NHS board should make necessary arrangements to ensure patients are re-located to another practice in the vicinity.
“It is my understanding that all patients have now been allocated to new practices.
“It is the responsibility of the board to determine whether a practice closure constitutes a major service change.
“I am clear that patients should always have access to general medical services following a practice closure, although this might be different to what they have been used to.
“I hope this information is useful to you and thank you again for taking the time to write to me with your concerns.”
Invergowrie Medical Practice patients were first told, via a letter, in February that the health facility would cease operations.
An inability to recruit following retirements at both the Ancrum and Invergowrie practices left a single GP, Dr Ronnie Ip, managing both practices.
The GP did not feel that this was safe or sustainable, so he chose to resign from the Invergowrie contract.
Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board (IJB) met on May 30 to agree the closure of the practice.
In response, Cllr Bailey, who gathered 566 petition signatures to keep the facility open, said: “I’d encourage Mr Matheson to read up on his own department’s guidance which states that community views must be taken into account before ‘any proposed service change’.
“The people I speak to in Invergowrie feel let down by the fact that government has taken zero interest in NHS Tayside’s failure to follow the requirements it sets for community consultation.
“Had consultation happened, there would have been time for the community to illustrate the inadequacy of public transport for the journey to their new surgery.
“Once that was aired, the risks that brings for patient care could have been fully explored.”
Jackie Baillie MSP, Labour shadow secretary for health, said Michael Matheson is “completely failing to hold the health board to account” and “stand up” for the people of Invergowrie.
The majority of the now defunct Invergowrie surgery’s 1776 patients have been dispersed to Ancrum Medical Centre and the rest to practices local to where they live.
Plans are afoot to host district nurses and other care and treatment services in the building place of the GP surgery.
Dr David Shaw, NHS Tayside interim associate medical director for primary care, previously said the board “worked really hard” with Dundee and Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnerships to keep the GP surgery open, but added the GP workforce is “just not there at this time”.
