This week's Community Column is written by Jackie Baillie, Labour MSP for Helensburgh, Lomond, Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Well done to the Hospitalwatch campaign for organising the recent demonstration to protect services at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

It was great to see so many local residents from Helensburgh and Lomond turning out to send a strong message to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the Scottish Government.

I joined the 24-hour vigil at various points throughout the day and evening and each time there was a constant flow of people signing up to show their support for our local hospital. Nobody can deny the strength of local feeling against the cuts to our NHS services.

There were too many people involved in making the event a success to thank each one individually, but the band of supporters who maintained an unbroken presence outside the hospital during the small hours of the night deserve a medal for their efforts.

There was much talk among the crowds about the concerns over the future of the GP out of hours service.

The health board is looking at plans to close the service midweek apparently due to the SNP’s failure to get a grip of the GP recruitment crisis.

There is a very real risk that local people will be put at risk if they are forced to choose between going to Paisley or waiting until their local GP practice reopens in the morning.

How many patients will think twice about seeking a GP appointment in an emergency because they are unable to travel to Paisley?

Many people in Helensburgh, Lomond and West Dunbartonshire already find it difficult to book an appointment at their local surgery and cutting the out of hours service is likely to pile even more pressure onto local GPs.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde says the future of the service is still under review but, shockingly, they will not announce their final plans until after the general election.

Like so many times before in recent elections, the SNP has been let off the hook and the unpopular decisions are delayed until the votes have been counted.

Last week marked the tenth anniversary of the SNP coming to power in Scotland.

They have been in charge for a decade and during that time we have seen the Vision for the Vale torn up by the health board with ministers simply looking on. How much longer do we have to wait until they take action to protect the Vale of Leven Hospital?