Save our Surgeries Burghead Hopeman

05/01/2026

Following the response from NHS Grampian on our Nurse-Led pilot project proposal, today we sent a request to share the detailed review and clinical scrutiny of the proposal, which had raised concerns on various issues. Sharing of such analysis will enhance understanding of the challenges facing HSCM in delivering better services and hopefully help shape up future intervention.

Furthermore, statement was also made about limited evidence of unmet needs in our area, despite challenges we raised on long waiting time for appointment, higher utilisation of A&E and delayed discharge. Closure of our surgeries had created distortion in health equity for our communities thus has always been our entry point in discussion with HSCM. Any evidence showing otherwise would be welcome.

We have invited NHSG and HSCM to come and meet members of our communities to hear their first-hand experience.

We would welcome positive change in community engagement to solve issues that matter to our communities.

04/01/2026

❄️ If you take a tumble on snow or ice:

• Move slowly and check for pain
• You might feel stiff or sore later — that’s normal.
• If it hurts to put weight on it, rest it
• Use ice (wrapped in a towel) for 10–20 minutes at a time
• Take over-the-counter pain relief if needed
• Gentle movement as it starts to feel better

More help here 👉 www.nhs24.info/MSK

Not sure if you need A&E? Visit www.nhsinform.scot/right-care or call 111.

04/01/2026

01/01/2026

Happy New Year to you all🙏

A little look back to 2025 while we pick up way forward for 2026.

At the start of 2025, following our extensive appeal for the Scottish Government to consider innovative intervention to improve access to primary health care services for our communities, we received a letter from Cab Sec, Neil Gray, through Douglas Ross MSP, expressing commitment to consider funding for a nurse-led pilot project. He then requested that SOS works with HSCM who are to lead the development of proposal for such project.

We also received a letter from Minister for Public and Women's Health, Jenni Minto, through Richard Lochhead MSP, reiterating the commitment and asking for possibility to merge proposal from HSCM/GSA with the concept of nurse-led pilot by SOS.

In May, we found out that HSCM had submitted a proposal to the Scottish Government. This proposal was then withdrawn when question on non inclusion of SOS was brought up. The withdrawn proposal was then shared with SOS for our inputs.
Upon digesting the proposal, SOS expressed its concern re the purpose of the proposal which was a research proposal, rather than service delivery as campaigned for and backed by Scottish Government.

Sadly, later on we found out that a proposal had been submitted by HSCM for the 2nd time to the Scottish Government, despite the reservation by SOS and the fact that HSCM was requested to work with SOS in the first place.

We then decided to elaborate the concept of nurse-led pilot project into a detailed project proposal, acknowledging the many gaps in info required from HSCM to fully support the I.plementation plan of such proposal. We submitted this proposal in October.

In November, we received a response from Directorate of Primary Health Care at Scottish Government to reiterate the fact that health service deliveries are the responsibilities of HSCM and as such it can not take forward our proposal without the support of HSCM.

Later on, we received communication from Minister of Public and Women's Health through Richard Lochhead MSP, to acknowledge reception of 2 proposals and that her officials should be able to appraise the proposals and feedback should be expected in January.

In December, we received response from NHSG to state that HSCM had carried out detailed review of our proposal and there are concerns around governance and supervision issues around our proposal for nurse-led pilot project. They went further to say that there is limited evidence of unmet needs in our area.

A few points from this brief:
1. Health Social Care Moray is the owner of health and care service deliveries in Moray. Even Scottish Government has no power in influencing local decision made HSCM.
2. HSCM has yet to share their detailed review of SOS full proposal. We shall be requesting such review especially when it is now being used to favour one proposal.
3. NHSG has open up about their tendency to talk and listen but lack of actions. We shall be inviting NHSG (and HSCM and MIJB) to visit our communities and listen to them on what it's meant by unmet needs, if the recent communities conversation events still didn't provide enough evidence.

We would be following up on the expected feedbacks and requesting for detailed information to be shared.

We remain hopeful that 2026 could bring a better acceptance of community inputs, sharing of information and collaboration to find workable solutions to real problems facing our communities.

22/12/2025

Our own experience may support her conclusion in a way. Do they talk a lot? Do they listen a lot? Do they change anything?

We might all feel desperate to have those senior officers listening, even if a little bit, to understand, and not merely so they could defend themselves? Would be brilliant if they would accept that criticism and complaints are way to learn and improve what matters to people. It would have been great if the community inclusion's applied as proper inclusion and not just to confirm decision making process.

We applaud her for making quick observation within the short time since she took over.
We would fully support any initiative that would see action to make sure that proper analysis of the situation and actions put in place accordingly to change.

And for that to happen, we could only hope that there would be change of attitude and mentality towards positive change process, if we are to see positive impacts for Moray and NHS Grampian in in general.

Enough talk, let's support positive leadership for the betterment of our communities.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1G7eRbMLi1/

NHS Grampian chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight has hit out at the culture at the troubled health board – admitting senior figures “talk and listen lots” but “very rarely” change anything.

Read more here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0qB6Ht0