A public meeting will be held next week to address concerns over Turriff’s healthcare services.
Concerns over GP availability, ambulance cover and minor injury unit provision in the Aberdeenshire town have been aired since before the pandemic.
The partial reopening of the minor injuries unit at Turriff is aiming to help with these pressures. However, it is said this does not go far enough for residents in the community.
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid believes the issues being faced have only “intensified” since Covid because of the pandemic’s repercussions on staffing.
In response to these concerns, the Conservative MP has asked local residents and groups to attend a public meeting on Monday, August 8.
Hopes to address ‘long-standing issues’
Inviting representatives of the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, Scottish Ambulance Service, the local GP practice and local MSPs and councillors, he hopes they can look at how local services can be rebuilt.
Mr Duguid said: “There are long-standing issues around ambulance times, doctor recruitment and the question marks over Turriff Cottage Hospital and MIU, all affecting the town and the surrounding rural area.
“This has intensified since the start of the pandemic, as it increased the critical pressure on staffing.
“The objective is to get these services engaging with the community, opening a dialogue, and fostering a better understanding of the issues facing residents, what resources are available and what still needs to be done.
“This will be a non-political event – everyone wants the restoration of services to a level which gives 100% public confidence.
“As well as giving residents an opportunity to air their concerns, health service providers will also be able to get across key information on what services are available and how they operate in a post-Covid world.”
The meeting will be held on Monday, August 8 at 7pm in the Baden Powell Centre in Turriff.
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