A WOMAN with breathing difficulties has lifted the lid on the chaos which followed the closure of the out-of-hours GP clinic at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

The patient attended the Vale hospital, for treatment after experiencing breathing difficulties and a bad cough.A and while she did receive treatment for her illness, the patient told how many others were not so lucky.

The service was shut down on Sunday, February 5 due to staff shortages. The closure resulted in patients having to travel 17 miles, over the Erskine Bridge, to access the GP out-of-hours service at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Helensburgh and Lomond’s MSP Jackie Baillie has waded into the furore and demanded answers as to why there was no adequate staff cover in order to keep the out-of-hours service open at the Vale. Local hospital supporters have branded the lapse “scandalous”.

The patient, who the Advertiser is choosing not to name, said: “I went to the Vale as I had difficulty breathing and a bad cough.

“I registered at the desk and there was a nurse and doctor on.

“I waited until I was called by a nurse, got blood pressure etc taken and while I was in the receptionist came and asked the nurse not to take any more patients before speaking to her. When the nurse had finished she asked me to go back to the waiting room.

“She went to see the receptionist and then advised everyone in waiting room that the centre was closed as there were no doctors to cover.

“She advised if it was urgent to go to the RAH or go to your own surgery on Monday. I managed to get to my doctor on Monday and I have bronchitis.”

The drama raises even further questions about services at the Vale hospital and its long-term future.

The Advertiser can reveal that the same weekend the Vale out-of-hours service closed, another one in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde shut down too.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital closed its out-of-hours GP service the previous day because of a lack of staff.

NHS bosses confirmed the service was shut on Saturday, February 4 between 6pm and midnight because of staffing shortages. And patients were told to travel to the Victoria on the south side instead – if they wanted an out-of-hours GP.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said in a statement: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has had a very robust GP out-of-hours service for the past 20 years.

“However, we had medical staffing issues which are affected the GP out-of-hours service at the Vale of Leven (VoL) Hospital on Sunday, February 4.

“The out-of-hours service was closed between 3.45pm and 11pm due to staff shortages with NHS 24 redirecting patients to the Royal Alexandra Hospital GP out-of-hours service. We took all necessary steps to reduce any impact on patient care while still providing a robust service.”

It’s unclear how many people were affected by the closure at the Vale.

In response, Jim Moohan, chairman of Hospitalwatch, said: “It seems to be the case of the last person leaving, please put the lights out.

“It’s absolutely scandalous. They (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde) are treating us with total contempt.

“It’s so wrong because people need that care and attention locally and they are just not getting it.”

Ms Baillie has voiced her concerns over the service’s sudden closure. She said: “The out-of-hours service at the Vale of Leven Hospital is an important emergency port of call for many local families.“It offers vital peace of mind to patients in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh that a doctor is always available in the local area in the evenings and weekends when GP surgeries are closed.

“It is very concerning that staff shortages forced the health board to close the service.

“It is very difficult to get to Paisley using public transport, particularly on Sundays, and those without cars might think twice about using the service or decide to wait until the local surgery opened on Monday.

“Local families will have to wait longer to see a doctor and illnesses could get worse. “Alternatively people may end up at A&E, making waits for treatment even longer.

“The health board has often used staff shortages in the past as an excuse to cut services at the Vale of Leven Hospital. It must not do the same again with the out-of-hours service.

“This was a key promise in the Vision for the Vale and the SNP government should commit to maintaining the existing levels of service and opening hours at the Vale of Leven Hospital.”

Cabinet Secretary for Health Shona Robison hit back at the criticism, saying: “We are committed to investing in our GP and primary care services, which are at the heart of our NHS, as well as allowing them to spend more time on consultation with patients.

"That is why we recently announced an additional £500 million to be invested in this area each year by the end of this Parliament.

"We also want a high-quality out-of-hours service which fully meets patient needs, and does so consistently and reliably throughout Scotland.

“This is why we are investing £10 million to take forward the recommendations made in Sir Lewis Ritchie’s review into out-of-hours care.

"This includes a multi-disciplinary team approach, utilising the skills of a range of highly trained professionals in the NHS and ensure patients are seen by the person best able to address their needs.”

“The out-of-hours service at the Vale of Leven Hospital was closed for seven hours last Sunday. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have confirmed that this was a temporary measure taken to protect patient care.

"Long-term, the Integration Joint Boards across the Glasgow and Clyde area are looking at what the best model for the provision of out-of-hour-services is, in light of Sir Lewis Ritchie’s national review of out-of-hours care.

“However no formal proposals have come forward and, if they do, we would be expecting the health board to maintain access for local people.”

An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson added: “While we would remind people not to attend a GP out-of-hours service without first calling NHS 24, staff were on-site at the VoL to redirect any walk-in patients.

“Patient transport was also available to transfer any patients to the RAH.”