MP claims consultations just tick boxes

MORAY'S Westminster representative claims NHS Grampian has always intended to close the local hospital.

Douglas Ross MP believes a consultation launched by the Moray Integrated Joint Board (IJB) on healthcare in Forres shows a clear intention to close Leanchoil for good, against the wishes of the local community.

He said: "I've always been told that closure was a temporary measure due to staffing problems yet the proposal for future health care is based on a model which assumes Leanchoil is no longer open. This consultation smacks of a tick-box exercise after a decision has already been made, rather than genuinely seeking the views of local people."

* Read the full story in this week's Forres Gazette.