Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray has called on the Scottish Government to properly fund the new Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary to protect local staff and patients once it has been built.
On a visit to the new hospital site on Friday 4th, Elaine highlighted the £13million funding cuts facing NHS Dumfries & Galloway in the next financial year, and questioned whether the new DGRI would be as stretched for resources as the current hospital.
In a recent survey of over 1,700 staff in NHS D&G, 47% said that “there are not enough staff for them to do their job properly.”
Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray said:
“It’s great that our region is getting a new and updated hospital and that construction is proceeding so well. However, a new build doesn’t automatically mean that patient and staff experiences will get any better. Staff at the current DGRI and across the NHS in our region will face £13m of Scottish Government cuts to our local health service. If pressure is to be taken away from staff at the new hospital then it needs to be properly resourced – our local NHS cannot and should not be faced with yet more cuts.”