Health chiefs 'must reflect population'

THE swelling population of West Lothian has to be reflected in services provided at the local hospital, a campaign group has said.

The Stop the Downgrade organisation - which lobbies for improvements to St John's Hospital in Livingston - said health chiefs had to address the fact that West Lothian has the fastest growing headcount of any local authority area in Scotland.

Protesters say not only has the health board failed to do this, but it is in fact taking services away from the Howden facility and moving them to Edinburgh, an accusation NHS Lothian strenuously denies.

A spokesman for the group said: "We always said that as West Lothian grew, it would need more resources.

"We are growing faster than anywhere else in Scotland. The increase in population is mainly among the old and the children - the very people that need hospital services."