Recently I raised ‘grave concerns’ at reports that “scores of Fife patients are dying unnecessarily” at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

The concerns were originally raised by a senior nurse at the hospital who raised a number of claims against the hospital including; inexperienced junior nurses drafted in, patients left unmonitored and patients being placed in “cupboards” due to lack of room.

These are serious complaints that must be taken seriously by the Scottish Government. People from across Fife will have been shocked to have read these claims being raised in the Courier and it is only right that they are properly investigated.

Patients should be able to go to hospital confident that they are going to receive high quality treatment that will improve their health. Whilst this will be the case for the vast majority of patients at Victoria, we must be confident that the health and safety of all patients at Victoria Hospital is guaranteed.

The Scottish Government must not be able to hide behind NHS Fife and claim this is a problem for the local health board. I have written to the Health Secretary to ask what action he will be taking and I hope to raise the matter in Parliament. It is important that the concerns or the nurses, who experience NHS at the coal face, are able to voice their concerns without fear of repercussions. Concerns over lack of staff, lack of rooms, and lack of performance monitoring must be addressed.

Having previously met with RCN Clinical leaders from across Fife in Parliament to discuss issues and hear their concerns I know the problems that they are facing due to cuts to their budgets. I will be contacting nurses unions in Fife to discuss these concerns.