PASSIONS were high at Tuesday night’s meeting between Moffat residents and NHS officials about the future of the town’s GP practice.
The town hall was packed and there was a queue which extended down the High Street to Grieve’s newsagents.
Representatives from NHS Dumfries Galloway attended the meeting which was organised and led by Moffat and District Community Council (MDCC) to discuss the next steps in the procurement of a new GP provider for the town and surrounding areas.
And fresh details and assurances were given about the extent of the community council’s involvement in the tendering process.
Communication and engagement manager for Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership Rod Edgar explained: “What is being arranged at the moment is to hold a training day on the 23 January, we are still to confirm that, where we would ask representatives of the community councils to come and attend that training day to find out the actual process of the scoring.
“We’re asking for all ten community councils in both practice areas to put forward anybody they want to attend that training and during the course of that day we would ask all those representatives to decide which two people will serve as the two members of the public on the panel to consider the expressions of interest.”
Director of strategic planning and transformation David Rowland added: “Tenders are due to be submitted by January 23. We will be looking to hold interviews on January 31. Interview panels will contain Dr Grecy Bell as chair; the head of primary care; the chair of the local medical committee; anon-executive director as well, but crucially there will also be two community councillors involved in that selection process.”
During the meeting it was revealed that providers can apply for one of the practices, meaning that there is a possibility that the two towns will have different providers, as NHS Dumfries and Galloway deputy medical director Dr Grecy Bell explained: “Prospective providers can apply for either Lockerbie or Moffat alone, and the area will include Leadhills. Providers can also apply for the two practices together, but we will not know until the January 23 which bidders have applied for which practices.”
Meanwhile, a suggestion by MDCC treasurer David Booth that the GP surgery should operate out of the vacant cottage hospital was met with thunderous applause from the audience.
Although this was not the first time the hospital site has been suggested for a GP base, the panel of NHS officials welcomed the community’s enthusiasm.
In response, medical director at NHS Dumfries and Galloway Dr Ken Donaldson said: “It’s really helpful for us to hear the community have such a positive response, there are communities that are concerned about their community hospitals and want them back as hospitals. But where we are at right now that would be difficult but to have the hospital, but to use it as a GP practice or a part of a GP practice, would be fantastic.”
NHS officials were also questioned heavily about what adjustments will be made to the selection process to make sure a similar situation doesn’t occur again.
In response, Dr Bell said: “No one wants a practice to fail. Our main interest is to return the practice back to independent contractors. The health board ran the practice before Alba and it wasn’t working either so it’s very difficult to say to you that we may not get it wrong again, but what we can give you is the assurance that we are following due process but we need to take people with what they come with in terms of the presentation and information they share with us. And we do not take that decision lightly.”
Following the meeting, MDCC councillor Mick Barker said: “I have no doubt in the NHS officials’ sincerity in that they are trying their best to learn from the Alba experience, and the community will have a role to play going forward.
“This meeting has shown from its turnout and the engagement that people want a forum to feed back about their experiences. The community council will be looking at taking feedback about Tuesday’s meeting at our next community council meeting on January 24.”
