Council urged to act to save heart services at St John's

THE bid to protect heart services at St John's Hospital in Livingston has been taken to the local authority.

An emergency motion was tabled this week asking the council to note its "extreme concern" over plans to move some care for cardiac patients in West Lothian to Edinburgh.

Health chiefs claimed the move would lead to an improvement in care for people experiencing chest pains.

But senior sources told the Evening News the proposals could see as many as 3000 patients a year diverted by ambulance on the 20-mile journey to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, though NHS Lothian has since said the number would be far lower.

The joint motion - tabled by the Action to Save St John's Party and the SNP - criticised the health board for not consulting on the move.

Campaigners fear the move would lead to the long-term demise of the hospital, meaning it would become little more than a "care of the elderly" facility.

Health board bosses maintain they are committed to retaining it as an acute hospital.