Carstairs to rely on Carnwath GPs

As reported earlier this year, it appeared that the 2300 patients served by the village practice might be left without any locally-based GP service.

The origins of the problem lay in an NHS Lanarkshire pharmaceutical committee decision last year to allow a private pharmacy to open in Carstairs, robbing the practice of the bulk of its income, made through its own dispensary which was then forced to close down.

The problems climaxed with the announcement that the single surviving Carstairs GP was leaving the practice.

In the summer NHS Lanarkshire issued assurances that a new doctor or doctors would be found the continue the Carstairs practice but an announcement on Friday from the authority said that it had been decided instead to hand the running of doctor cover for the village and surrounding area to the neighbouring Carnwath Practice which will now seek the doctor or doctors to man its new Carstairs `branch’.

Along with this, it announced a £55,000 upgrade of the former schoolhouse building which has been home to the Carstairs practice for many years.

For full details, pick up a copy of this week’s Carluke and Lanark Gazette.