Fears for St John's as patients go west

Published on Tuesday 6 July 2010 11:40

FRESH fears about the future of St John's Hospital have been raised after it emerged hundreds of West Lothian patients are instead being treated in Clydebank.

Of the 1000-plus people sent from the Lothians last year, half lived in the St John's catchment.

That has led to critics saying health chiefs are trying to reduce the role of the Livingston hospital, preferring to send them 40 miles away to the Golden Jubilee, to the west side of Glasgow.

NHS Lothian said its commitment to St John's was stronger than ever, and it remained one of the board's three key hospitals along with the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Western General.

Figures obtained under freedom of information show 457 West Lothian residents were treated there last year, around half of the total from the health board area.

In 2008, less than a quarter of the Lothian patients treated there lived in the area.

Ellen Glass, a councillor for the Action to Save St John's party, said: "Of course this is bad news for St John's. A lot of the procedures that have taken place there could easily have been done at St John's. People want to go to their local hospital, not somewhere else just to get waiting times down."

A total of 162 West Lothian patients were sent to Clydebank for general surgery in 2009, with 127 going for orthopaedic procedures. Plastic surgery was performed on 71 people while 68 were sent for gastroenterology - which deals with disease of the liver, pancreas and digestive duct.

An NHS Lothian source said the high number going from West Lothian was for geographical reasons, adding "it makes more sense in terms of distance for them to travel to Glasgow".

Although St John's is busier than ever, protesters say it is moving towards being a day hospital, and not one of medical and surgical expertise.

But Jackie Sansbury, chief operating officer of acute services for NHS Lothian, said: "In a number of cases we can offer patients the choice of going to the Golden Jubilee or into the private sector where they may be treated sooner.

"This does not undermine the viability of St John's which is busier than ever. In addition, we are investing 8.2 million to develop the Short Stay Elective Surgery Centre which will treat an extra 3000 patients a year."