More than 1000 people have signed a petition to save beds at a Glasgow hospital unit.

The Centre for Integrative Care which offers holistic and alternative therapies for people including many with chronic pain is set to lose its in-patient beds under health board plans.

Campaigners who use the service and say it is vital for their health are planning to send the petition to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and the Health Secretary, Shona Robison.

So far, 1168 people have signed up to protect the seven in-patient beds for those who require overnight stays.

Read more: Vital centres for the elderly to close their doors today

The petition was started by a patient, Claire McCue.

She said: “I have been an in-patient here for 5 days earlier this year, and on leaving my words to the senior nurse were ‘It's been a lifeline’.

“I also saw the benefit to patients with very different illnesses and conditions and know these people are hugely reliant on the service physically and psychologically.”

A separate petition on the same issue was heard by the Public Petitions Committee at the Scottish Parliament.

Both call for the Scottish Government to give the hospital national service status to secure its funding and long term future.

Catherine Hughes, submitted the petition to the Parliament

She said: “Patients are being evicted from the ward to make room for another service and given that this hospital is built with charitable funds the Health Board is deliberately stealing this hospital by wilfully diminishing and running down the hospital.”

The Public Petitions Committee has referred her petition to the Health Committee.

At First Minister’s Questions, Nicola Sturgeon was urged by Labour leader Kezia Dugdale to call in the proposals by the health board and put a stop to the planned cuts, including the seven beds at the CIC.

Ms Dugdale said following a vote in parliament for the government to intervene, it was time for the First Minister to act.

Labour, Tory, Greens and LibDem MSPs all backed a motion the day before, calling for the plans to be called-in by the health secretary defeating the Government by two votes.

Ms Sturgeon said there was a procedure to be gone through before it was time for ministers to make a decision.

She said: “When the long-established process has reached the stage at which that judgment can be made, the health secretary will report it to Parliament. In reaching that judgment, of course she will take account of yesterday’s debate and the decision of the Scottish Parliament.”

Ms Dugdale repeated her call adding: “The truth is that the Parliament agreed that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport should call in proposed cuts by health boards in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and the Lothians. That is because the services concerned are vital to communities throughout the country but are now at risk.”

Read more: Vital centres for the elderly to close their doors today

Ms Sturgeon reminded the Labour leader that the SNP had saved Lightburn before and other services that would have closed when Labour was in power too.

She said: “We will do the right thing. Let us never forget that it is because of this SNP Government that we still have an accident and emergency service in Monklands and in Ayr. Lightburn hospital is still open because we stepped in and prevented its closure.”