WEST Scotland MSP Jamie Greene is demanding a u-turn on cuts to the GP out-of-hours service in Inverclyde.

He has written to the cabinet secretary for health, Neil Gray, urging him to intervene to restore a full service at IRH.

The Conservative man told him that the reductions will 'result in poorer health outcomes in an area which already faces significant healthcare challenges'.

He says that while members of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde made the cut, the Scottish Government nevertheless had a duty to step in.

He said: “Inverclyde already faces significant challenges when it comes to the health and wellbeing outcomes. The government must pledge to restore the service if it is committed to overcoming those challenges."

Over six thousand people signed a petition opposing the cuts, which Mr Greene says are unfair.

He added: “IRH is now set to be the only hospital in the entire health board which does not enjoy its own full out-of-hours GP service. Residents will now face a fifty mile journey to Paisley for the same service many in the area benefit from having much closer to home.”