FIFE families "united in grief" have vowed to continue their campaign to ensure more dignity for the dying.

Bereaved relatives of former patients of the Victoria Hospital met Scottish Conservative MSPs Murdo Fraser and Sandesh Gulhane last week and the politicians are now inviting any other people who feel they are victims of “Scotland’s failing NHS” to come forward.

Concern on the level of care on offer was raised at the meeting which was organised after Dunfermline woman Trish Nolan spoke out about her experience at the hospital when her late husband John was being treated for cancer.

She previously told the Press about the "complete and utter negligence" at the Victoria Hospital, saying NHS Fife staff ignored her pleas for help repeatedly as John became increasingly unwell.

Mrs Nolan has vowed to continue to raise awareness and change.

"We arrived as individuals, each working through losing our loved ones in harrowing circumstances and left as a group, united in our grief, our concerns listened to with empathy and understanding," she said.

"We felt we were listened to but there was obviously a time constraint so everyone gave a brief synopsis of their situation. Sandesh wanted us to give a lot more details because were only able to scrape the surface and it was harrowing even at that. From my understanding, he wants to take each case individually and bring it up in the parliament.

"He asked what we wanted and I genuinely think we need to look at a system being introduced a bit like the police one where they report themselves and are independently investigated. When things go wrong, people should be able to admit they have made a mistake and should not have to fear repercussions.

"We are determined to continue to campaign for more dignity for the dying and sensitivity to seriously ill patients and their loved ones."

Following the meeting, Mr Fraser MSP said the relatives shared "harrowing and upsetting" stories.

"They all highlighted how deceased loved ones had not received proper and adequate treatment at the hospital and frankly, that is just not good enough," he said. “It was good to meet all these family members and I must praise them for coming forward to meet us to express their concerns at the poor level of care their relatives experienced at Victoria Hospital.

“Mr Nolan’s medical case was horrendous. Nobody should have to go through what he and his family experienced. I have met NHS Fife to discuss Mrs Nolan’s concerns and am happy to be contacted by other families who have had similar experiences and meet with them, in order to take the matter further. These are all people who have been failed by Scotland’s NHS.”

Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, who is Scottish Conservative’s health spokesman, added: “Listening to these brave families tell me their harrowing stories was deeply disturbing and they were let down by the system and the SNP-led government, which has been in charge of Scotland's NHS for the past 15 years.

"Failures are not the fault of hard-pressed frontline staff who have been let down by the government for years."

NHS Fife's Director of Nursing, Janette Keenan, said pressures on healthcare services in Fife throughout much of 2022 were unprecedented, with demand for inpatient care "well beyond" anything they had ever seen.

“Despite this, healthcare staff in Fife showed incredible resilience in hugely challenging circumstances to try and continually provide patients with the best level of care possible," she said. "While there are of course exceptions, the overwhelming majority of patients receive a very good standard of care, and that is down to efforts of healthcare staff and their dedication to the patients in their care.

“We are constantly working to improve the care we provide, and where the high standards we expect have not been met then we want to hear about it in order that we can learn from it. The feedback we receive from patients, whether positive or negative, plays a vital part in helping us improve our services for the benefit of patients in Fife.”