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‘It was a no-brainer’: campaigners win fight to complete Grantown health centre project

MSPs joined GPs, staff and the community to overturn government decision

MSPs and staff celebrate the continuation of works on the Grantown Health Centre. Image Sandy McCook/DC Thomson
MSPs and staff celebrate the continuation of works on the Grantown Health Centre. Image Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Work to refurbish Grantown Health Centre is to continue after a campaign persuaded the Scottish Government to fund the project.

The £2.4 million upgrade was halted even though construction was well under way.

It followed a pause on all NHS capital projects in Scotland due to a £1.5 billion budget black hole.

Local campaigners supported by MSPs and NHS Highland have been arguing for the £400,000-£500,000 needed to complete the work.

Cross-party campaign

Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing, who raised the issue at Holyrood, argued that putting the work on hold would end up costing far more in the long run.

He joined forces with fellow MSPs Edward Mountain and Rhoda Grant in a cross-party campaign involving doctors from the health centre to overturn the government’s decision.

And today the campaigners gathered at the health centre to announce their victory.

It followed a meeting held recently with Scottish health secretary Neil Gray.

Dr Al Miles (far left) with practice manager Kathy Cockman outside the health centre with MSPs Fergus Ewing Ed Mountain and Rhoda Grant<br />Image Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Mr Ewing said: “This has been a cross-party campaign with Rhoda Grant, Ed Mountain and myself working together without party political difference to achieve an outcome which we all felt was a no-brainer really.”

The project is the last part of the wider Badenoch and Strathspey redesign.

This included the construction of a new community hospital in Aviemore and refurbishment of Kingussie and Grantown health centres.

The main extra costs of the Grantown project arise from having to continue to use the Ian Charles Hospital, an old building which is no longer fit for purpose.

Mr Ewing said: “Had the funding remained withdrawn, then very quickly the extra costs of using the old building would rapidly exceed the £500,000 which would be the notional saving.

“The campaign was predicated firstly on the basis that it was a false economy.”

 A community  campaign

He added: “This has truly been a community campaign and we have succeeded.”

A meeting about the crisis was attended by more than 300 people last month.

Mr Ewing said this was instrumental in reversing the government’s decision.

“Had those 300 people not turned out, and if others had not written to the health secretary, we would not be here and I doubt we would have won this campaign.

“It was the people of Grantown and vicinity, at the end of the day, who ensured we can make this happy announcement.”

Fergus Ewing made the announcement outside the health centre. Image<br />Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Mr Mountain said a 1,000-name petition sent to the government also helped the campaign.

“In my political career I have never seen 1,000 people sign up in less than a week a petition on a specific issue like this.”

He said to have stopped the project half way through would have been a “complete let down” for the people of Badenoch and Strathspey.

Rhoda Grant said: “This shows what joint working can do. NHS Highland, ourselves, the GPs, the practice staff and all the patients working together sent a clear message to the Scottish Government.

“It would have ended up costing more pausing this than completing it.”

Keeping local services

Kathy Cockman, general manager at Grantown Health Practice, said: “We are all delighted we are getting to finish the building work.”

She said staff are pleased for patients to be able to keep services locally rather than have them centralised in Aviemore.

Dr Al Miles, a GP at the practice, said: “We are really grateful to our community and our patients for backing us and helping to ensure the future of healthcare in the Strath is along the line of what we were promised in 2015.”

“We would not have got here without them.”

Rhoda Grant said the campaign showed what joint working can achieve. Image Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

It is now expected to move services into a new building on the site by early May.

This will allow an older part of the centre to be knocked down to create an extension to complete the project by September.

This in turn will allow the community to progress plans to convert the Victorian building into flats and key worker housing.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “As the upgrade of the Grantown-on-Spey medical practice has already started and is a key part of the redesign of services for Badenoch and Strathspey, the health secretary has decided it should be considered as a project in construction.”

Other Highland health projects delayed

The Grantown Health Centre work is one of a number of projects in the NHS Highland area, amounting to £175 million, put on the back burner.

They also include a maternity unit upgrade at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and a new Belford Hospital in Fort William.

Refurbishing Caithness General Hospital in Wick and creating new Wick and Thurso community hubs are also on hold, along with a plan to move two GP practices to the hospital in Dunoon.

The Scottish Government has blamed te pause on its block grant for capital expecting to fall in real terms by over £1.3 billion by 2027-28.

 

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