Councillor hits out at Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board after treatment during cancer battle

Councillor Robert Moran was left outraged at his treatment at the hands of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board as they tried to send him miles away for a colonoscopy.

The health and social care convenor, who has fronted cancer awareness campaigns, was fearing the worst when he became unwell with severe pains and ended up on a drip in Inverclyde Royal.

Days later he was shocked when health board bosses told him he would have to travel 30 miles away for a procedure which is routinely carried out in Inverclyde Royal, reports the Greenock Telegraph.

Robert was then taken off the waiting list altogether when he said it would not be possible for him to make the journey.

Greenock grandad Robert said: "I was given two appointments for a scan, one in Stobhill and the other Canniesburn, when they can do it in Inverclyde Royal.

"Both of those places take an hour in the car and even longer on public transport.

"But you need to travel with someone because of the anaesthetic and that was not possible for me.

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"Unknown to me, they then took me off the list for 'refusing appointments'.

"I was sitting thinking my cancer was back - it was frightening and I was very unwell.

"I didn't know they had taken me off the list until I went to my GP."

Former shipyard worker Robert was diagnosed with bowel cancer back in February 2011.

His life was saved by taking a simple home screening test.

The long-serving Greenock councillor fought back to full health and went on to be made Provost, welcoming the Queen to Inverclyde a year later.

Robert used his high profile position to front a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of taking a simple at-home test.

But he feared that his cancer had made a return last year.

He said: "Once you have had cancer you fear it will come back.

"I was feeling really unwell and that was all I could think about."

Robert says that he has been moved to speak out about his own experience out of concern that is happening to other patients.

He said: "We understand that if you need a major operation then you have to travel.

"But it has to be within reason.

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"There was no way I could make it to Stobhill for a such a procedure.

"I could stand up for myself but there are people out there who would just be taken off the waiting list and not know what to do.

"People in Inverclyde should be able to go to their local hospital for tests that can be carried out there.

"I feel the need to speak out because this is happening too often.

"We are constantly being told about local people having to travel miles to access health services."

Robert, who was finally diagnosed with a chronic condition diverticulosis, has spent time recovering and getting back to full strength.

He said: "I now finally feel like I am back in action."

Bosses from NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde say told the Tele that where possible, they 'always strive to give patients appointments at their nearest hospital'.

A spokesperson added: "Sometimes in order that a patient can be seen quickly, they will be offered an appointment at a hospital further away which has a shorter waiting time.

"The Greater Glasgow and Clyde access policy deems a reasonable offer of appointment to be at any hospital in the health board, and identifies that patients can be removed from the waiting list if two reasonable offers are refused.

"However, individual patient circumstances should be taken into account when applying this policy to ensure that patients are not being disadvantaged.

"Whilst patients do have the right to specify the hospital they wish to attend for their procedure, they are advised that in doing so they may not receive their procedure within the national waiting times guarantee.

"This is national regulations which are applied across the whole of the NHS in Scotland."