Health services at a key Aberdeenshire hospital should continue as they are, officials have recommended, following fears they could be downgraded.
The revelation was welcomed by the hundreds who gathered to share their views on the future of the much-loved Jubilee Hospital in Huntly last night.
The level of care offered at the hospital was called in question following a 2018 review of Aberdeenshire’s Minor Injury Units (MIU).
A specialist group had looked at the best ways to deliver health services in the north-east town, with three options put forward for the future of the unit.
Option one was maintaining the current arrangement, at a cost of more than £477,000 per year, with a GP-led service from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and a nurse-led service overnight and at weekends, as well as some out-of-hours medical support for the nurse service.
The second option, costing a little over £90,000, was to reduce nurse-led MIU provision at the hospital after midnight.
A third option suggested offering a nurse-led MIU service from 8am to 6pm, with no out-of-hours provision. That level of service would have cost the lesser sum of £253,000 a year.
Last night, the The Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) held an engagement meeting with the local community at the Stewarts Hall in Huntly to gauge public opinion on their recommendation of carrying out option one.
In the first 45 minutes, 300 people flocked to the drop-in consultation, and by 7pm a total of 900 people had shared their opinions.
“People have been very supportive,” said Iain Ramsay, partnership manager for South Aberdeenshire.
He added: “We’ve been delighted with the amount of people that came out.
“I’ve not spoken to one person who disagrees with the recommendation to keep services running as they are.”
One resident, Karen Louw, said the unit was integral to families with young children.
She said: “We need this service and I am glad it will be continuing as normal, we all are.
“While my children were younger and ill during the night it made things so much easier to have the Jubilee Hospital.
“It would have been a hassle to travel further, to either Dr Gray’s or Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.”
Members of the Friends of the Jubilee Hospital, a charity dedicated to raise funds for the local hospital, were also in attendance.
For months the group has been canvassing local residents and campaigning to secure the hospital’s future, with a consultation meeting in March last year attracting 350 people.
President Jenny Smith said: “We are delighted that option 1 seems to be the decision moving forward.
“The extent that the community cares has been proven by the huge number of people who came out to the Stewart Hall.
“The Jubilee Hospital is integral to the community. This place has saved lives and now can continue to do so.
“If anything it should expand its services.”
