A CAMPAIGN group aiming to stop vital cardiac services in Inverness being moved from a purpose-built facility has said it will continue to probe NHS decision-making through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
We All Need The Heartbeat (WANTH) held a protest outside the Heartbeat Centre at Raigmore Hospital on Saturday, aimed at engaging and informing visitors and staff of the proposed changes. NHS Highland wants to use the space for other clinical uses and has suggested splitting the current rehab unit and moving it to other parts of the city.
Pete Gavin of WANTH said NHS Highland had not being fully transparent about its decision-making regarding the centre.
“At the moment we have submitted several [FOI requests] but it drips back from the health service. They’re not in full openness mode,” he said.
“We want to see how far back the decision goes, because there’s no evidence trail of the decision to close the centre coming about.”
In response, a spokesperson for NHS Highland said meetings about the facilities were continuing with “full staff engagement” and that no decision would be made until “alternative facilities that enable us to deliver an improved service are confirmed”.
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