FRESH doubts have been cast over the future of Inverclyde Royal after it was revealed the health board needs to save a staggering £90m over the next year.

A new report has lifted the lid on the extent of the financial pressure facing NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC).

Official papers show that savings worth £87m need to be made and if if that is achieved, there could still be a £29m funding gap.

West of Scotland MSP, Neil Bibby, says will inevitably mean cuts to services, including in Inverclyde, and he is calling on NHS bosses to come clean over where the axe will fall and what it will mean for staff and patients locally.

Mr Bibby said: "We now know that NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde faces nearly £90m of cuts in the next financial year.

"We need full transparency from the health board about what these cuts mean for the IRH.

"It was recently uncovered that the IRH has a repair backlog of nearly £23m, but with the health board being expected to make these staggering cuts, further doubts are being cast over the long-term future of services at Inverclyde's local hospital."

The budget bombshell comes at the same time as a major review of acute services is published.

The 'Moving Forward Together' review points to some 30 different areas which could be targeted.

Mr Bibby said: "The health board are intending to implement major changes in the way in which services are delivered to patients Inverclyde.

"There needs to be a commitment made now that both local people and our hard-working NHS staff are properly consulted with and involved in that process."

Officials admitted that they must tighten their belts but that progress is being made.

A health board spokeswoman said: "Like all health boards in Scotland, NHS GGC is required to live within its available resources.

"At the NHS GGC board meeting we were pleased to report that in 2017/2018 we succeeded in delivering financial balance.

"As we move through 2018/2019 we will continue to identify areas of efficiency and improvement to strive to achieve financial balance once again, whilst maintaining the quality of care for our local population.

"The health board recently approved 'Moving Forward Together', which is an exciting innovative strategy committed to supporting people to live healthier, longer lives at home and enabling people to live independently.

"Care shall be delivered as close to home as possible, supported by a network of local community services with safe, effective and timely access to high quality specialist services for those whose needs cannot be met in the community.

"Our approach will be to provide as much care as possible locally in the community, including some services which are currently provided in hospital."