Health chiefs have been accused of lying to NHS board members over the review of breast cancer services at Vale of Leven Hospital.

Jackie Baillie MSP made the allegation after quizzing health secretary Jeane Freeman at the Scottish Parliament last week.

It followed claims by the MSP that the board tried to push through the centre’s closure – and move it to Paisley – without proper consultation.

It is the latest twist in a controversy which stems from a meeting of the board’s acute services committee on July 17.

A copy of a board paper leaked to Ms Baillie shows that members were asked at the meeting to note that the Scottish Government “were satisfied with the level of engagement in relation to the set of proposals”.

However, in response to a freedom of information request made by the MSP, the board revealed that not one patient from the Vale’s catchment area was consulted on the plans.

And the opinion of just one patient was taken when the proposal to shut the facility and the Vale and move the facility to the Royal Alexandra Hospital was taken forward.

As we reported earlier this month, this sparked off strong criticism from the MSP who said: “If this is the level of consultation that the board regards as appropriate, I have deep concerns about how the rest of the Moving Forward Together (MFT) programme will be implemented.”

In a statement this week, Ms Baillie said the Cabinet Secretary had told her the Scottish Health Council was responsible for advising whether a health board had “properly undertaken wide-ranging consultation”, and had said that “we are not at that stage yet.”

Ms Baillie added: “She completely failed to confirm the claim made by the health board that the Scottish Government approved of the engagement.”

The MSP’s statement adds that the claim by the health board also runs contrary to the views of the Scottish Health Council.

“Had the paper been approved by members of the committee,” Ms Baillie said, “this service change would have been pushed through based on inaccurate and misleading information.

“It is shocking that officers of the health board misled members of the acute services committee in a bid to have a paper approved which would have seen breast services centralised at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

“The health board had already been advised by the Scottish Health Council that the consultation on the options appraisal with just one patient was not adequate. And today the Cabinet Secretary disowned their suggestion that the Scottish Government was satisfied with the engagement to date.

“Clearly this health board cannot be trusted to engage with patients in this area, never mind the wider population, before taking decisions which are patently not in our interests.”

The health board’s interim chief officer for acute services said: “No decision has been made on how best to deliver a consistent breast service to all women in NHSGGC.

“However, if there are to be any changes there will be detailed engagement and consultation with local stakeholders.”