HEALTH chiefs have come under fire from community councils and politicians demanding action to help a West Fife GP surgery in crisis.

Patients from Valleyfield Medical Practice fear not being able to contact the surgery could lead to people not seeing a doctor when needed and putting services like NHS24 under pressure.

A letter has been signed by Torryburn & Newmills, Low Valleyfield and High Valleyfield community councils, as well as the area's three ward councillors and cross-party politicians.

Addressed to NHS Fife chair Tricia Marwick, they demand a meeting to help improve the g appointments and phone system.

"None of our concerns are directed against individuals working at the surgery, either now or in the past," the letter states.

"The medical, ancillary and clerical staff have worked very hard, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we continue to be thankful for all their efforts.

"Our concerns relate to structural issues in NHS Fife and how they are impacting us on a local level.

"We fully understand the pressures which the NHS in Fife and across Scotland has been under in the past 18 months in particular, but many of these issues originate before the COVID-19 pandemic and have yet to be addressed."

Recruitment issues have been stretching the Valleyfield practice for several years now but the departure of two doctors and the reduction in hours of another mean that temporary alterations have been made to the appointment system where they are prioritised on clinical need and urgency.

The letter continued: "For at least three years, there have been recruitment issues at Valleyfield Surgery leading to inconsistent patient service and longer waits for appointments.

"Can you provide the intended staffing levels at Valleyfield and what plans you have to ensure the surgery is brought up to full complement?

"Common in other parts of Fife, we must call at 8am for an appointment on the same day, with no option to schedule one for the future.

"Many members of the community have told us that, as a result, they choose not to call as they don’t want to take a space away from someone who might need to see a GP more urgently. As I am sure you appreciate, this could put people’s health at risk."

The parties said there had also been a deterioration in communications and patients were struggling to get through on the phone, with many just giving up after ringing several times.

Associate medical director for the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, Dr Helen Hellewell, said: “There have been ongoing issues around the recruitment of medical staff at Valleyfield Medical Practice for some time, however, these have been more acute in recent months.

“While health boards in Scotland are not ordinarily responsible for the operating of individual medical practices, or indeed the recruitment of individual GPs, the acute shortage of medical cover at Valleyfield Medical Practice led to NHS Fife taking over running of the practice in July 2019.

“As has been well-documented, there continues to be a UK-wide shortage in general practitioners, and this makes recruiting to vacant posts incredibly challenging. Despite this, we are working to find a sustainable model for Valleyfield that will involve a wider multi-disciplinary team made up of a range of healthcare professionals, including GPs.

“While this work progresses, a number of immediate interventions have had to be made to the appointment system to ensure those requiring urgent clinical assessment could continue to be seen.

"The move to same-day appointments is only intended to be an interim measure to help support and maintain practice services and will be kept under regular review.

“Despite the considerable pressures of late, patients who have urgently needed to be seen have continued to be.

“Furthermore, the GP practice is only one part of a much larger network of healthcare support available to people in the local area.

"Patients requiring advice can continue to contact NHS 24, who can help direct patients to the most appropriate service for them. Similarly, through the Pharmacy First initiative, many conditions can now be treated at a community pharmacy.

“We are committed to ensuring that people in the High Valleyfield area have access to good-quality, sustainable local healthcare and we will continue to work constructively with local elected representatives, and the wider community, in order to secure this.”