CAMPAIGNERS have criticised a health board "pre-consultation excercise" ahead of the proposed closure of a children's ward, saying they fear NHS chiefs have already made up their mind.

Health bosses are considering whether to close ward 15 at Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital and transfer services to other hospitals.

But campaigners who use the ward say it is well respected by the medical profession and provides an excellent service.

Mum-of-three Sandra Webster has two young sons who both have additional support needs and makes regular trips to ward 15.

Sandra, 44, from Glenburn in Paisley, was critical of the pre-consultation set up to firm up options to be looked at a meeting of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on December 20.

Sandra said: "I'd never taken part in a paper exercise like that before, but now I know what it means. I feel that the health board have already made up their mind.

"They gave us four options, with option one being to keep things as they are, but even as that option was introduced, at the bottom it said that this is not a viable option, this cannot happen, we cannot carry on the ward indefinitely."

Another of the options is to move the existing services to Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, but Sandra said that would present problems for families living in Renfrewshire.

Sandra said: "My son Luca spent a lot of time in Yorkhill when he was younger, it was a nightmare. We weren't allowed to stay in the Ronald McDonald house because we live in Paisley and that's too local.

"So your left trying to hold family life together while still rushing between being at hospital and looking after your other children. It's a nightmare."

Councillor Jim Sharkey, who was drafted in as an independent observer of the two day pre-consultation process, held in Renfrew's Glynhill Hotel, was also critical of the process.

Councillor Sharkey said: "It reminded me of a time-share sales pitch.

"We were all locked in a room and we they were going to sell us this one particular product and nobody was getting out until somebody bought. High pressure sales. This was a similar experience.

"The next stage is they have to have a financial assesment and a risk assesment. A financial assensment as they're talking about cutting three doctors out of nine, that's a foregone conclusion.

"The risk assessment they'll say three is not as safe as nine. These are management decisions which it would take management decisions to reverse."

In a statement, NHSGCC said: "A full report of the pre-consultation process is currently being prepared.

"This is not a formal consultation but a pre-engagement process to decide if there is a case for change.

"Should the outcome of this process lead to a formal consultation then this will of course involve open public meetings and a wide variety of other opportunities for the wider public to share their views."

Earlier this year, Paisley-born Hollywood star Gerard Butler pledged his support to keep ward 15 open.

He told the Evening Times he believed the closure of the was "a blow that Paisley can do without."

ewan.fergus@ eveningtimes.co.uk

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