Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, today commented on the issue of out of hours care following a debate in the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Hume said:

“The South of Scotland has large swathes of rural and sometimes remote areas, and patients living in the region should not suffer any barriers to health care because of where they live.

“There is some concern that because of a lack of out of hours care in remote areas, the Scottish Ambulance Service is being left to deal with all health cases, diverting it away from other emergencies.

“In particular this poses questions for the Scottish Government as to how the patient transport service is operating. The evidence is that Patients are having great difficulty accessing this service.

“There needs to be a joined up out of hours service so patients are receiving the best care. Local GPs should be at the centre of this approach as they have the best knowledge about what their patients’ needs are.

“Out of hours care, especially in remote and rural areas, could also benefit hugely from telehealth technology. If this is to be case the availability of high speed, reliable broadband is vital.”