INVERCLYDE'S newly elected MP says it is time for change as the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board chief executive admits they have failed to monitor how long Inverclyde patients have to wait for transport to GP out of hours appointments.

Former board member Martin McCluskey, who stepped down over cuts to the service locally, says that Jane Grant's letter in response to his direct concerns is 'astonishing,'.

He says that the lack of openness and transparency afforded to board members and elected representatives let alone the public is not good enough.

This comes as Mr McCluskey promises to continue to pursue the health board over the future of the GP out of hours services in Inverclyde.

The Tele reported earlier this week that an FOI request from the Labour MP revealed that waiting times were not recorded.  

This has now been addressed in a letter to the MP from Chief Executive Jane Grant, months after he first requested the information.

The Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West MP, who is still a councillor in Gourock, said: "There are big questions for me, I have been asking for this information since April and it has taken them more than two months to admit that they do not have the information I asked for.

"This is simply not good enough and raises questions around the openness and transparency of the health board, even when it comes to a board member and an elected member, never mind the public.

"They must be more open."

Mr McCluskey had asked for information around the waiting times for those from Inverclyde relying on patient transport to get to appointments outside of the area.

In her response to a letter he sent, the chief executive, who announced she is stepping down, said that they do not directly monitor patient transport waiting times.

The chief executive sets out the health board's position and says that they are now looking at ways to monitor the performance of patient transport.

Mr McCluskey said: "It is astonishing that the chief executive has admitted there has been no any monitoring or record in terms of the performance of the patient transport in Inverclyde.

"This was time and time again used as a significant argument by the health board when debating the changes to the service.

"Even with the response that they will monitor waiting times, it is not clear how they will do this.

"I accept that there was robust debate around patient transport but board members and elected representatives can only use the information that is in front of them.

"I will be responding with a series of questions and matters that now need to be addressed."

In her letter, chief executive Ms Grant said: "Performance against waiting times standards for GPOOH’s transport time is not measured for any of our centres.

"The Patient Transport Service, if required, is co-ordinated to ensure patients arrive for their allocated appointment.

"If patients are unable to attend at their allocated appointment time, including if the patient transport service is unable to meet timescales, then alternative arrangements are made, which can include a GP home visit."

Ms Grant went onto say that NHS GGC is now looking at ways to monitor patient waiting times.

In May this year the health board took the decision to permanently reduce the GP out of service in Inverclyde.

Despite a public outcry patients in Inverclyde have to travel to Paisley or other centres to see a GP face-to-face when surgeries are closed, apart from limited periods only at the weekend.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde went ahead with plans to cut the GP out-of-hours service, leaving Inverclyde Royal as the only site not operating a full seven days a week and overnight service.

Previously the health board has said the GP out-of-hours service across NHS GGC was subject to an extensive public and stakeholder engagement, which included significant scrutiny at a board and sub-committee level including from local MPs, MSPs and councillors as part of this process, giving ample opportunity to feed into the final proposals.