Galloway Community Hospital Action Group have called for attendance at a meeting they have organised this Saturday.
For clarity, NHS Dumfries and Galloway will not be attending.
This Action Group meeting is focused on proposals to undertake a review of the hospital – which we set out in our Medium Term Plan 23/26 published in April 2023, and which is not something born out of immediate and well-documented financial challenges.
As a responsible organisation, it is important that we are continually monitoring and reviewing how all aspects of our services are functioning, and looking to see how they can be supported.
This is especially true for such a key facility as Galloway Community Hospital, which everyone agrees needs to continue to serve the community – but where we need to review and consider how we best meet challenges such as recruiting and retaining staff.
All of this has been explained to the Action Group, and discussed at one of our regular in-person meetings with them last Monday, but has not been reflected in their messaging.
At this point in time, without a plan for the review having been drafted and agreed, and with no dispute about the importance and value of this facility, we will not be attending the event being organised by the Action Group.
We are fully committed to engaging with all stakeholders once and if a scope of review is established and agreed, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute their views, but we are not yet at this point.
