THE son of an 95-year-old woman being cared for in a hospital earmarked for closure has urged the First Minister to intervene on behalf of families.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has said a contract with Walker Healthcare to provide care for 72 residents at Mearnskirk Hospital in Newton Mearns will not be renewed next year.

The hospital, which takes admissions from Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire, was praised last year in the board’s own Chairman Awards.

In an impassioned letter to Nicola Sturgeon, the man, who asked not be identified, said he credited Mearnskirk Hospital in Newton Mearns for his mother’s survival.

He writes: “My mother was transferred from the Langland’s Unit to Mearnskirk House in January 2017 after we were advised that she may only have months to live.

“It was only after receiving the best possible care and attention by dedicated staff in a caring and compassionate environment, that one year later, my mother has put on a stone in weight.

“This was certainly not the case when my mother was in the Langlands unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

“She would most probably no longer be alive had she stayed at Langlands.

“The nurses are able to make sure my mother eats properly.

“I am confident that the care she has received could not be provided in a care home setting.”

The board has said the closure is in line with government strategy that hospital care should only be provided to elderly people for whom there is not other option.

However, the elderly woman's son said he had “no confidence” that his mother would receive the same level of care elsewhere.

He writes: “It is no secret that social care in Scotland faces a fundamental crisis with more than a third of care services reporting unfilled staff vacancies.

“In such an enviroment, how on earth will social care be sourced for 72 very frail elderly people.”

“I cannot stress strong enough what an asset Mearnskirk House is to the NHS and to the Scottish Government.

“You should be proud that Scotland has such a facility instead of allowing it to be closed.”

Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood said he intends to meet with the health board and hospital to discuss the concerns of families.

A spokeswoman for Walker Healthcare said it, “remained open to extending the contract.”