COWDENBEATH MSP Annabelle Ewing is urging members of the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership to support the retention of overnight urgent care services at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, which serves her constituency.

The Partnership suspended Out of Hours services at the Queen Margaret and Glenrothes Hospitals earlier in the year.

On Wednesday Ms Ewing said: “I have been pressing the case for the retention of overnight urgent care services at Queen Margaret Hospital since it became apparent that the service was under review.

"I have raised the matter in Parliament and I wrote to Michael Kellet, the Director of Health and Social Care with Fife Council, seeking clarification from him on what the procedure was to be following the consultation process.

“Frustratingly, despite that letter having been sent over a month ago, I have yet to receive a reply".

The MSP added: “Fife Health and Social Care Partnership is meeting on Thursday December 20 when the report on consultation on out of hours will be submitted.

“I have absolutely no doubt that my constituents in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area and Rosyth, Aberdour and Inverkeithing, would be best served by Queen Margaret Hospital being open overnight for out of hours urgent care and I have no hesitation in calling on the Health and Social Care Partnership to ensure that situation prevails.

“Further to that, I would urge them to recognise that it would send entirely the wrong signal to the local community if they were to do anything to reduce the footprint of the Queen Margaret Hospital where we have seen a welcome extension of services available over recent years.”