THE MSP for Inverclyde has been accused of 'pitting community against community' after he suggested Paisley’s out-of-hours GP service should close instead of Inverclyde’s.

SNP man Stuart McMillan put his idea forward when he met with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s chief executive Jane Grant.

He made the call after following the board's decision to suspend out-of-hours provision at Inverclyde Royal Hospital and Greenock Health Centre at nights and weekends, while Paisley’s service at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) has stayed open.

Provision at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow has also been suspended alongside Gartnavel Royal and Easterhouse Health Centre.

Residents in Inverclyde now face a 20-mile journey to be seen by a doctor out of surgery hours, and Mr McMillan believes it would make more geographical sense if the QEUH and Inverclyde Royal remained open while the service at the RAH closed.

But list MSP Neil Bibby, of Labour, whose regional remit takes in both area both areasm, has slammed his SNP rival for the 'outrageous' suggestion.

Mr Bibby said: “The RAH has already been downgraded under this SNP government and now one of their MSPs is calling for our out-of-hours GP services in Paisley to be axed.

“The SNP promised to ‘keep health local’ and they’ve done anything but.

"It is an absolutely outrageous position.

“Inverclyde needs an out-of-hours service but so does Renfrewshire.

"Instead of pitting community against community, we need a real plan to fix the GP crisis in the NHS and restore these services to the level people across the West of Scotland expect and deserve.”

Services were suspended here at the end of last month and a number of other centres due to a lack of available GPs.

Out-of-hours services have continued at the Vale of Leven, Stobhill and Victoria hospitals as well as at the RAH.

Mr McMillan argues the QEUH is only around six miles away from the RAH, whereas the journey between Inverclyde Royal and the RAH or QEUH is more than three times that distance.

He says everyone in the health board area should be able to easily reach a hospital and his plan – which suggests Vale of Leven and Stobhill remain open too – would ensure there are services on either side of the river.

Mr McMillan said: “As it stands, Inverclyde is getting the rough end of the stick and public opinion is clear this decision needs to change.

“My proposal is to maintain the services at Stobhill, QEUH, Inverclyde Royal and Vale of Leven.

"This provides greater geographical coverage, covering both south and north of the River Clyde as well as supporting our own area and my constituents.

“I believe my proposal makes more sense, especially when many people in Paisley and Renfrewshire have easier access to the QEUH than they do to the RAH.

“This is just a typical attack from the Labour Party.

"They tell us what is wrong, but never offer any solutions.”