INVERCLYDE Council is on a collision course with health board bosses after it formally opposed controversial proposals to reduce the local GP out-of-hours service in the district.

Councillors from all parties have united to call on NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde chief executive Jane Grant and chairperson Dr Lesley Thomson to fully restore emergency GP cover in the area to seven days a week.

During a meeting of elected members there were passionate pleas across the chamber to send a strong message to the health board, backing the concerns of 6,000 people who previously signed a petition against the cutbacks.

They unanimously signed up to a motion which was put forward by Labour councillor Jim Clocherty.

The board want to permanently reduce the service in Inverclyde to a few hours at the weekend, with patients who want to see a GP out-of-hours having to travel to Paisley or Glasgow the rest of the time.

This follows a decision taken back in February 2020 to 'temporarily' reduce services in Inverclyde, with a series of short notice closures cited as a key factor behind the move.

Backing the motion SNP councillor Chris Curley, who represents Port Glasgow, said: "Hopefully there will be unanimous support for this.

"I attended an online meeting with local councillors and representatives of the health board.

"To me it didn't seem right, what was happening here."

He expressed particular concern about health chiefs stating the restricted service as it stands is only being used 42 per cent of the time, and questioned the implications of that.

Cllr Curley said: "They [the health board] may then say there is no demand for the service, so you have to use it at the RAH all the time. It is stacked against the people of Inverclyde.

"It is important we have the service we need in Inverclyde...we have large areas of deprivation and poverty.

"Any service has to take account of that.

"In this chamber we need to give a strong message that we need an appropriate and even a better out-of-hours service in Inverclyde."

Long-serving councillor Robert Moran claimed that the people of Inverclyde were not being treated in the same way as their counterparts in the rest of the health board area.

He also told the Municipal Buildings meeting that the health board only went ahead with a wider consultation after being asked to do so by Healthcare Improvement Scotland told them to.

Cllr Moran added: "They were just going to make this decision permanent."

The health board insist that systems are in place now to allow out-of-hours consultations to take place either on the phone or online, reducing the need to travel to a physical centre.

A letter will now be sent to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde opposing the plans.

Councillor Clocherty added: “I am grateful to my colleagues on the council for supporting my motion and I urge the health board to listen to the views of the thousands of people who say we need a full out-of-hours service here in Inverclyde.”

Councillor McVey, who had seconded the motion, said: “I don’t believe what the health board is proposing is good enough for the people of Inverclyde.

“I am pleased that my colleagues supported our motion and I hope NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will listen to what we and the people of Inverclyde have to say on this."