A DUNFERMLINE councillor has expressed his disappointment at the response to his call for a review of A&E services.

Gavin Ellis wrote to the Health Minister in July after an elderly driver fell ill at the wheel on Whitefield Road just beside the Dunfermline hospital but was then taken all the way to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy for treatment.

After being what he described as "underwhelmed" by Jeanne Freeman's response, he also wrote to NHS Fife chief Paul Hawkins but was again left disappointed.

"I have from the beginning made it clear all that is being sought is a review and one that must take into account the large increase in population and the continued growth of Dunfermline and West Fife," he said.

"I wrote to Jeanne Freeman, the Scottish Government’s cabinet secretary for health and sport. To say I was underwhelmed by the written response I received would underestimate it.

"While it's clear it was drafted up with some involvement from NHS Fife due to the detail on the current services at the Queen Margaret and how great they are – of which they indeed are and we are grateful to have these specialist services here in Dunfermline – it still did not address our concerns of A&E provision going forward.

"All it did was to suggest that these other departments showed NHS Fife’s commitment to our area and that it is solely up to the NHS board for Fife to look at any review."

Cllr Ellis said the NHS Fife response failed to address his concerns.

"It is one thing steering non-emergency cases into minor injuries and other health hubs, however, for those genuine emergency cases which will likely increase due to population its simply not good enough.

"Unlike other politicians and councillors who have played the blame game of whose fault it is that the service was closed and now could not be funded, I have never wanted this to be political. All I want is the same as the residents of West Fife and Dunfermline and that is a simple review of the Queen Margaret’s ability to support an A&E department with its back-up services and a chance for us to have a say."

Last month, Mr Hawkins told the Press that the decision to transfer all A&E services to Kirkcaldy in 2012 followed an "extensive and robust" public consultation.

“By locating A&E services centrally, NHS Fife can continue to provide a high standard of care and improve patient safety," he said. “The vision for Queen Margaret Hospital was to create an ambulatory treatment and diagnostic centre for Fife residents at the heart of the community and, since the move in 2012, the hospital has gone from strength to strength.

“Queen Margaret Hospital continues to provide planned acute services including outpatients, day case surgery, cancer services including oncology and a nurse-led minor injuries unit, all of which clearly demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the provision of acute services in Dunfermline.”