A GREENOCK pensioner who took a tumble in the town was left baffled after being rushed by ambulance all the way to a hospital in Paisley instead of going to IRH.

Greenock Telegraph:

Jim Thomson, of Octavia Terrace, was stunned to be left stuck on a trolley in a corridor waiting for hours to be treated at the Royal Alexandra, when he could easily have been taken to IRH in his own town.

When he was finally seen, he said a doctor was surprised that he was in Paisley at all and asked him why he wasn't at Inverclyde Royal.

The 73-year-old was then discharged from the accident and emergency unit and sent home in a taxi.

His 40-mile round trip has raised further questions about the way casualty cases in Inverclyde are being handled, amid growing fears about the long-term future of the A&E in Greenock.

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Jim said he decided to speak out about his experience after concerns were highlighted by veteran health campaigner and former provost Ciano Rebecchi about patients being sent by ambulance up the M8.

Jim said: "I certainly share Ciano Rebecchi's concerns about what is happening.

"Why use Paisley when we have a perfectly good A&E in Inverclyde?

"I tripped and fell in the Pottery Street recycling centre, hitting my head.

"They called an ambulance, and I was dazed but hadn't lost consciousness.

"When the ambulance took me straight to Paisley I was very surprised.

"My wife went home."

Jim says the decision to send him up the motorway seemed even more odd when he faced a lengthy wait to be seen. 

He told the Telegraph: "I was left waiting to be treated for hours.

"I was on a trolley in the corridor.

"I was given a CT scan but I am sure Inverclyde Royal must have one of those.

"When the doctor did see me he asked why I was at Paisley. I told him it was the ambulance who said they had to bring me here."

By the time Jim was able to be discharged it was 7pm at night and the hospital arranged to pay for a taxi to take him home.

Health cuts campaigner Mr Rebecchi recently raised the alarm about patients with falls being sent to Paisley.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it was part of the new 'trauma pathway' introduced by the Scottish Government.

The decision was taken to use Paisley and Glasgow for trauma cases, with patients then moved back to Inverclyde Royal to recover.

Inverclyde Royal was chosen as a site for elective surgery instead.

But Ciano says the shakeup is causing needless distress to patients, particuarly older people, as they bypass their area's hospital to go to another one around 20 miles away.

Jim said: "I think the more ambulances taking patients to Paisley, the less patients there will be down here and they will use it as an argument to close the A&E in Inverclyde."

At a recent Inverclyde Integrated Joint Board meeting member Chris Jones, an Inverclyde doctor, admitted the new model was placing increased demand on ambulances at busy times.

The Tele highlighted Mr Thomson's case with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde in a bid to find out why he had been sent all the way to Paisley.

A spokesperson for the health board said: "While we cannot comment on individuals, the West of Scotland Trauma Network is part of a national framework designed to help assess and prioritise patients who need urgent specialist care, while improving outcomes for patients suffering from injuries related to trauma.

"The IRH continues to be a key part of the major trauma network as a local emergency hospital and has one of the best performing A&Es in the board.

"The vast majority of local residents requiring emergency care continue to be seen at the IRH."