More than 1,000 people have shared their views on the future of four of the region’s cottage hospitals.
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership has been carrying out a consultation on the facilities in Moffat, Thornhill, Kirkcudbright and Newton Stewart, which have been mothballed since 2020.
Six options are on the cards for each site, including permanent closure and creating health and social care hubs.
The public stage of the consultation closed on Friday, with 1,229 responses received.
Director of strategic planning and transformation, David Rowland, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who has responded to the consultation on cottage hospitals, who has taken the time to consider the six potential options which have been developed, as well as the hybrid models developed by some local teams, and who has contributed their thoughts.
“The responses will be considered as part of the decision-making by Dumfries and Galloway Integration Joint Board when they hold an extraordinary meeting on October 29.
“It’s important that everyone was encouraged and supported to have their say, and, importantly, that they understand the purpose of formal public consultation as a structured means for everyone to consider options, to explain what they like or don’t like, to challenge them, and to make suggestions – with this work being overseen independently by Healthcare Improvement Scotland – Community Engagement.
‘While it is important to remember that consultation is not a vote, or a referendum, I want to assure those who have contributed that their views will be considered by the decision-making body, in this case the Integration Joint Board. They will consider these along with the outcomes from the consultation, staffing availability, financial resources and the deliverability of these potential operating models, as well as the extent to which they can offer safe, effective care in line with local need.
“I very much appreciate that people are keen to see certainty over the future of the four cottage hospitals which have been the focus of the consultation.
“We don’t know what the IJB’s decision will be for each of these cottage hospitals, but I would ask that people understand the role of a consultation in informing rather than leading this decision-making. All the materials which will inform the outcomes will be published on the DGHSCP website ahead of this extraordinary meeting, and I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to read these in full.”