Video: Protesters gather outside flagship Glasgow hospital

Health secretary Shona Robison speaks to protestors outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan. Picture and video: John Devlin/TSPL

A UNION has claimed the Scottish Government is 'underfunding' the country's largest health board and not doing enough to protect services from cuts.

Members of Unison protested outside the flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan today ahead of a visit from health secretary Shona Robison.

The minister was due to attend the annual review meeting of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which serves 1.2 million people in the west of Scotland.

The health board came under fire in June when plans to shut in-patient beds at a unit at nearby Gartnavel hospital were revealed in a leaked report.

The Local Delivery Plan for Greater Glasgow included proposals to shut the seven beds at the Centre of Integrated Care as part of a wider savings strategy.

Cathy Miller, Unison branch secretary, said: “We are underfunded, not overspent.

“This is not about the board. This is about the Scottish Government funding Glasgow. If they don’t do it our services will be lost.”