NHS ignores patients

It is less than six months since Scalloway surgery suffered a £140,000 cut in income with the loss of its dispensary.

Local doctors have struggled to find ways to continue to offer high quality care.

Now patients have found out through the press that a further drastic cut is to be made.

Scalloway Health Centre Patient Group met this week to discuss how this cut will impact on our care.

We know that our doctors have already made savings and reviewed working practices.

We know they have been working long hours with reduced holidays.

We are concerned and angry about what kind of service they will be able to offer us – the 3000+ patients – if funding is further reduced.

NHS Shetland talks a lot about “patient involvement” these days. However our experience as Scalloway surgery patients has been that the local health board pays absolutely no heed to patient views.

Well, the ball is in their court now. Let them show us they care about patient concerns.

Stop and examine the actual impact of this cut. Don’t make the cut and then try to deal with the consequences.

Sit down with our doctors now and come up with a plan which puts patients first.

Karen Eunson
On behalf of Scalloway Health Centre Patient Group