Window on the Past

Residents of the district who were taken ill outwith surgery hours were to be asked to go to the Western Infirmary or Drumchapel hospital for treatment.

Only patients who were housebound or whose medical condition warranted it would receive an emergency home visit from a deputising service.

Patients who needed to see a doctor out of hours would attend one of the two primary care emergency centres for the district and would be seen by a qualified and registered GP.

Local doctors said the new system would relieve them of long periods on duty therefore make them “fresher” for their daily care of patients.

But Bearsden MP Sam Galbraith described the move away from GPs’ “excellent” call-out service as “very sad.”

He said: “I think that it is sad that this has happened and is a reflection of increasing pressure on GPs. Something had to give and it’s bad medicine, and not in the patients’ interests.

“The call-out system was an excellent service but the pressure to stick everything on to GPs from hospitals means doctors can’t practice properly. It’s just no good.

Mr Galbraith, who was himself a neuro surgeon, said he sympathised with GPs.

He added: “I think GPs can’t continue with their increasing workload at the rate it’s going. I know what it’s like to be out in the middle of the night and have to work the next morning.”

15 YEARS AGO

Drunken youths went on the rampage across Milngavie and Bearsden in what police described as alcohol-induced mayhem that saw a man seriously assaulted and a major street disturbance.

The shocking upsurge in youth violence and street disorder saw numerous arrests for carrying offensive weapons, breach of the peace, and drinking in public places.

The arrests were made following a melee after a disco at Milngavie Town Hall.

There were also arrests at Milngavie Station following an incident on a train.

The most serious incident was the assault on a 39-year-old man as he was walking his dog in Conon Avenue just after 9pm.

He became suspicious of a group of youths in the driveway of a house. The man appeared to have asked the group of two teenage boys and two girls to move on.

Police said he then proceeded on his way and was attacked from behind.

As he slumped to the ground the attackers made off. The victim was taken to the Western Infirmary where he required stitches and was detained.

Detective Sergeant Matt Gemmell said: “While we are grateful for co-operation from the public and to the public spiritedness of this man, we would urge people to contact us with their suspicions rather than expose themselves to any potential risk.”

10 YEARS AGO

Pressure was mounting on the Lib Dem administration on East Dunbartonshire Council to scrap its proposal for fortnightly refuse collections and retain the weekly service.

The controversial decision to halve the service was a cost-cutting measure taken at a budget meeting, but opposed by opposition parties and community councils, residents’ associations and other local action groups were determined to have it overturned.

Bearsden West Community Council were scathing in their attack over the decision and Doris Sofio of Milngavie Community Council was just one who was demanding to know why there was no consultation on the decision.

Representatives of Baljaffray, Burnbrae, Castlemains, Killermont and Mosshead raised fears at a special meeting that rotting refuse would cause a stench in summer and encourage rats and other vermin. Council leader John Morrison in justifying the decision told the Herald: “The Liberal Democrat group has quite rightly decided that in order to encourage recycling we’ll move to a fortnightly bin collection. If successful, not only will we save money on collections but we’ll save a substantial sum in landfill tax which we have to pay on non-recyclable rubbish.”

The East Dunbartonshire Labour party had launched a campaign for the reinstatement of the weekly collections.