Hospitals campaign
There is wide-spread concern amongst constituents, which was clear at a public meeting held this week, about the continued closure of community hospitals at Kirkcudbright and Newton Stewart.
They stopped operating during the covid pandemic with ward staff transferred to other duties, including providing community care for patients at home.
It appears NHS Dumfries and Galloway are reluctant to commit to reopening the hospitals, flagging up staff shortages and suggesting ward teams were currently more effectively deployed elsewhere, including looking after patients at home.
I continue to press the local NHS to, at very least, make a clear commitment to restore full community hospital provision as soon as possible. The respite, palliative and step-down services cottage hospitals provided are greatly missed and were far easier for relatives and friends to visit.
It is also important that the Scottish Government acts on the particular challenges faced in the south-west, with a larger than average older population, by helping facilitate increased NHS staff recruitment and training.
PO host wanted
I raised with the Post Office the closure of the Whitesands branch at Dumfries, which served the riverside and town centre area.
The development has inconvenienced a large number of local residents and businesses.
I’ve had a reply from the Post Office, which states they are seeking to recruit a new agent in the neighbourhood to operate a replacement branch. Full details are displayed on their website.
In the meantime, other Post Offices are available in Galloway Street and St. Michael’s Street, Dumfries.
Planning a better A75
I was pleased that amongst the first announcements of new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was confirmation that the UK Government will fund a £5 million feasibility study into A75 improvements.
This is far from a paper exercise and will be an essential piece of work in establishing meaningful options to take projects forward and examining issues such as scale, timing, location and routes.
Improving the A75 has been one of my number one priorities as Dumfries and Galloway MP, generating a great deal of correspondence, discussions and meetings. Not surprising as the road impacts on the lives of so many local people and visitors.
Festive card designers
My wife Ann and I were again greatly impressed with the standard of entries in my annual schools Christmas Card competition.
Congratulations to runners-up Hannah Smyth of Loreburn Primary School and Zayna Ammar, St. Michael’s Primary School, both Dumfries. The overall winner was a pupil at Belmont Primary School, Stranraer.
My thanks to school staff and the pupils who took part.