The former team behind the defunct Moffat Community Council, which dissolved earlier this month, have decided to go ahead with their meetings, despite their assets being frozen and their decision making capabilities being put on hold.
So they met as usual on Tuesday to discuss town issues, particularly the future of health and social care locally.
A five month long consultation took place recently with the results set to be revealed next week.
However, it is rumoured that fewer than 200 people, out of 2000 contacted, filled out the survey.
Nevertheless, the community council are fearful that will be enough to see them lose their cottage hospital in the next two years and instead see a GP surgery created on site.
Dr Derek Cox, who retired as the director of public health for Dumfries and Galloway three years ago, and was the most recent chair of Moffat Community Council, has called the process a sham.
He said: “There have been discussions and several public engagement exercises going on about health and social care in Moffat and Beattock for over a year, but it has been clear from the outset that the health and social care manager has been determined to see the closure of the beds in the hospital.
“The so-called public engagement process would appear to have been a lengthy sham. I hope that hundreds of people will turn up next week to make clear the community’s total opposition to these proposals.”
His feelings were shared by Don Gillespie, who attended a public consultation at the Proudfoot Institute. He said: “I’d say 99 per cent of people expressed concerns, but it sounded like a done deal.”
Meeting attendees also expressed concerns that Church Place GP surgery is to close this October, with patients transferred to the already busy High Street surgery.
Describing it as a ‘bombshell’, Dr Cox said: “Other small towns in the region, for example Dalbeattie, have been provided with new purpose built health centres. I wonder why the people of Moffat and Beattock should be expected to make do with a substandard GP surgery in an old building which was not designed for this purpose?”
Responding to the sham claims, a spokesman for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: “It is simply not the case that any option has been developed for the future delivery of health and social care in Moffat and the surrounding area.
“The entire point of the engagement which has been taking place is to take stock of the current provision, and to seek views from service users about what they see as being priorities going forward.”
He added: “Our event taking place next Wednesday, May 30, is intended as a chance to assemble and examine the feedback which has been received from that engagement, and to begin considering how we use that to together shape services.”
And addressing concerns over the Church Place GP surgery changes, he added: “The board has already agreed to offer Church Place staff the opportunity to transfer their employment from their current employer to the health board and we are currently working through how best to integrate Church Place staff and services with the GP surgery in the High Street, Moffat.
“Many people have given up a great deal of time to help develop this programme with the very honest intention of seeing the community shape the future of services.
“So while we would dispute the claims that have been made in the strongest terms, we would agree that it is important that as many people as possible attend next week’s event. We have a real opportunity to transform and expand the range of local health and social care services available and look forward to discussing these matters further.”
The survey findings will be discussed on Wednesday at Moffat House Hotel from 1.30 pm to 7 pm, with talks at 2 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm.
