COMMUNITY campaigners have secured a meeting with Fife Health and Social Care Partnership over growing concerns at the level of care at Valleyfield Medical Practice.

Ongoing problems with staffing levels at the surgery has meant patients have been unable to book advanced appointments and the difficulty of securing an appointment at the 8am free-for-all has meant that those with non-urgent medical issues are put to the back of the queue.

Torryburn and Newmills Community Council has been trying to reach health board officials to find a solution and in December last year teamed up with High Valleyfield and Low Valleyfield Community Council and local politicians and wrote a letter to the NHS Fife chair Tricia Marwick describing the issues at the practice.

The letter said: "For at least three years, there have been recruitment issues at Valleyfield Surgery leading to inconsistent patient service and longer waits for appointments.

"Common in other parts of Fife, we must call at 8am for an appointment on the same day, with no option to schedule one for the future.

"Many members of the community have told us that, as a result, they choose not to call as they don’t want to take a space away from someone who might need to see a GP more urgently. As I am sure you appreciate, this could put people’s health at risk."

Now, they have secured a meeting with the head of primary and preventative care services, Bryan Davies, at the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, and have now launched an appeal on Facebook, calling for patients to get in touch and let them know how they have been affected by problems at the practice.

They said: "Can you help? Despite numerous attempts to deal with the ongoing issues reported with appointments etc at Valleyfield Medical Practice, we have finally managed to secure a meeting with the head of primary and preventative care services Fife Health and Social Care Partnership.

"Please could you give a brief description of your experience so we can use them as examples.

"This is our opportunity to put the issues across. Please help us so that it’s not wasted."

The practice has been hit by the resignation of two doctors as well as one reducing their hours, and in December's letter to Ms Marwick, the community council wrote: "None of our concerns are directed against individuals working at the surgery, either now or in the past.

"The medical, ancillary and clerical staff have worked very hard, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we continue to be thankful for all their efforts.

"Our concerns relate to structural issues in NHS Fife and how they are impacting us on a local level."