MID Scotland and Fife MSP Alex Rowley has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Shona Robison, over what he claims is the Government’s failings to manage the health service resulting in the closure of three out-of-hours services.

From Monday; Queen Margaret Community Hospital, Dunfermline; Glenrothes Community Hospital; and St Andrews Community Hospital will no longer operate any out-of-hours services from midnight until 8am. Instead patients will have to travel to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Commenting on the news, the Kelty based MSP said: “I am dismayed by the Scottish Government’s management of our NHS, which has resulted in this happening.

"Fife Health and Social Care Partnership have explained the reason for these closures is due to staff shortages. By failing to recruit adequate numbers of GP’s, Nursing and medical staff the SNP’s management of our health service has failed the people of Fife.

“The Partnership is the third biggest in Scotland and yet the Government are struggling to recruit enough nursing and medical staff, it is simply not good enough.

“I have urged the Cabinet Secretary to look into this development, and asked what she plans to do to address the crisis that is engulfing our NHS."

He added: “This will not come as welcome news to people across Fife, as already more and more are finding it difficult to get a GP appointment, and now out-of-hours services are going to shut at three locations across Fife. We need to fix this problem before it spirals further out of control.”

Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP lesley Laird said: “We’re well aware, given the difficulty constituents report in getting a GP appointment, that Fife doesn’t have enough GPs to serve the population adequately. And now we’re seeing the out-of-hours services being closed due to recruitment difficulties.

“This is a worrying development – and clearly illustrates just how much the NHS staffing crisis is deepening in Fife.

“While assurances have been given that the PCES overnight closures are a temporary measure, I’m not confident that this will be the case.

“I’ve written to the Michael Kellet, director of the Health and Social Care Partnership, asking why agency staff could not have been employed to bridge this problem and keep services open.”

Lesley added: “These closures will also impact on the teams working at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy and I’ve sought assurances that staff there can cope with a rise in numbers.

“I’ve also asked – and this is a question I come back to many, many times – what strategy is in place in Fife to recruit more medical staff across the board?”