CAMPAIGNERS who fought against the closure of the Drumchapel Hospital have hit out after Queen Elizabeth University Hospital closed its out-of-hours GP service because of a lack of staff.

NHS bosses confirmed the service was shut on Saturday between 6pm and midnight because of staffing shortages. Patients were told to travel to the New Victoria Hospital on the south side instead.

But politicians and campaigners who fought to save the service at Drumchapel Hospital last summer said they were assured that would not happen.

Councillor Paul Carey said: “This is something that both myself and campaigners warned about when they decided to close Drumchapel out-of-hours last year.

“One of my questions to the NHS was, what happens if the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital out-of-hours service were to close? I was assured that this would not happen. However, this has happened and, apparently, it was due to staff shortages.

“This issue is too important to turn into a political football and all parties must unite as strongly as possible to oppose this from happening again.”

Cllr Carey urged the government and NHS to look into the matter.

He said: “The Scottish Government must look into this as a matter of urgency and ascertain why the out-of-hours service closed.

“If this was due to staff shortages, then it is an outrage. I previously stated that the people who live in Drumchapel and the surrounding areas would find it difficult to get to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and if this is closed, they would have to travel to the Victoria.

“Once again, the people who cannot afford this will find it a hardship to access this service.

“I will advise my constituents that if they are in doubt, they should just telephone an ambulance and not take any chances with their health.

“I would urge the NHS to look into this and to guarantee that this service remains open seven days a week.

“I intend to write to the local MSP, Bill Kidd, to ask that he raise this issue in the Scottish Parliament as a matter of urgency and to have cross-party support on this issue.”

It is unknown how many patients from north-west Glasgow may have been affected on Saturday night.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has had a very robust GP out-of-hours service for the past 20 years.

“However, we had medical staffing issues over the weekend which affected the GP out-of-hours service at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

“The QEUH GP out-of-hours service was closed from 6pm on Saturday until midnight due to a staff shortage with NHS 24 redirecting patients to the Victoria out-of-hours service.

“We took all the necessary steps to reduce any impact on patient care while still providing a robust service.”