Health bosses pledge after decision to close and relocate Cupar’s minor injuries unit

The move away from the Adamson Hospital to St Andrews Community Hospital was rubber-stamped at a meeting of Fife’s Integration Joint Board (IJB) on Wednesday.

Faced with community and political criticism in north-east Fife, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership bosses have pledged to draw up a plan to ensure a “seamless transition of services to minimise disruption” - and to give people more information on travel reimbursement schemes.

Willie Rennie, MSP for North-East Fife, said the outcome was “deeply disappointing” while a last-ditch bid to halt the closure decision saw Cupar councillor John Caffrey try to have the item removed from Wednesday’s agenda to allow for further investigations, but he was unsuccessful.

The closure decision comes after the unit faced temporary closures earlier this year because of staff illness - the issue of resource was key to the decision to reconfigure services in the area.

The partnership previously referred to “known risks to sustainability of services within the current model” and said closure was the preferred choice of three options following a clinically-led review.

It is expected the relocation of the minor injuries unit to St Andrews Community Hospital will be completed by the end of July.

Lisa Cooper, head of primary and preventative care, said: “We had to consider these plans for reconfiguration of Minor Injuries care units in North East Fife due to known risks to sustainability of services within the current model. We have a duty to ensure we optimise patient care and ensure resilience of the service now and for the future. The decision to relocate minor injuries care services to St Andrews Community Hospital will mean we can offer an enhanced service - as well as access to a full range of services.” She added: “It will allow us to provide seamless care in one location, ensuring people are assessed and treated in a more effective and efficient manner.” Ms Cooper said the board was committed to addressing local concerns over travel, and how it could access minor injuries care after the doors close.

She added: “We’ve taken on board questions they raised and are preparing information on topics including travel from Cupar to St Andrews, travel reimbursement schemes available and how to access the right care in the right place. We will be raising awareness in the local community through our own communications channels too to ensure that information is available to those who need it.

“We would also like to thank everyone from the local community who participated in the survey and community meetings - 1300 participants were consulted and 96% of responses received were from people living in North East Fife.

“Their participation helped us understand what additional information and support is needed to ensure everyone has access to minor injuries care.”

She underlined that Adamson Hospital “remains a key hub for healthcare, offering a wide range of services tailored to the needs of our local population” and added: “We are committed to continuing to develop and enhance the models of care available there.

“Our Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) service, for example, provides essential treatments such as wound care, phlebotomy, and long-term condition management.

“People will also continue to be able to access multi-disciplinary teams and a range of primary care services, and we continue to explore new opportunities to enhance services as they arise.”