A&E Decision Halts Ayrshire Cancer Centre

Plans for new health services in Ayrshire have been put on hold in order to retain an accident and emergency unit, BBC Scotland has learned.

Last month, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon overturned her predecessor’s decision to close the units at Ayr Hospital and Monklands in Lanarkshire.

Among the proposed services suspended is a new cancer centre based at Ayr.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran had also planned community casualty units at Girvan, Cumnock and Irvine.

The services have been put on hold until revised plans have been independently scrutinised and approved.

The decision to keep Ayr and Monklands A&E units open was one of the first announcements made by Ms Sturgeon when she became health secretary.

Andy Kerr MSP, the former Labour health minister who took the decision to close the casualty units, said Ms Sturgeon had taken a short-term populist decision that would harm patients.

“If you seek to reverse some of those core decisions then clearly there will be an effect on other services,” he said.

Gavin Tate, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, said he was worried that health services in Ayrshire and Arran would suffer.

“The problem will be that the health board may well, if required to maintain two full A&E departments, be unable to fulfil the other extensive plans for the improvement in cancer services, eye services, local community casualty units and other significant developments.” said Mr Tate.

When Ms Sturgeon made her announcement in June she made it clear that she expected an impact on some other services but that the bulk of the new services should still go ahead.