A NEW mental health 'centre of excellence' has opened its doors to Helensburgh and Lomond residents at the Vale of Leven Hospital.
The facility will provide a dedicated welfare officer through NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde thanks to financial support from the Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS).
The new service, which began operating on December 22, is the culmination of years of campaigning for better mental health services for the armed forces community in Helensburgh and Lomond and the wider area – though the service is available for the whole community, not just current and former military personnel.
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Conservative West of Scotland MSP Maurice Corry, who attended the official opening, said: “This has been a hard fought campaign, but one I have been delighted to support alongside the DMWS and it is wonderful to see the mental health service now officially open.
“This shows that services are being enhanced at the Vale of Leven Hospital, which is so important to the communities in this area in terms of healthcare.
“Mental health services continue to be vastly underfunded and at this time, we need them more than ever.”
Mr Corry said that improving mental health services in the areas covered by the Vale hospital had been one of his key aims since he was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016.
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“Linking up with our military connections in the area is a real passion of mine as a veteran,” he continued, "and this is why I was determined to see this service come to fruition.
“This opening marks a great milestone in improving access to mental health services in the Vale area and I look forward to seeing it flourishing in the years to come.”
The service is already providing support for 15 patients at the local hospital.
The launch of the new facility follows the announcement earlier last month that the hospital’s GP out-of-hours service will be restored to full operation by March.
An agreement was reached with local GPs on the hospital’s integrated care team to secure the staffing of the service after nearly two years of interruptions.
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In addition, the Vale is to be the first hospital in Greater Glasgow and Clyde to see the roll-out of a new trans-nasal endoscopy service which is less invasive and quicker for patients.
Mr Corry continued: “We must do all we can to protect the Vale of Leven Hospital, and having this service within the facility is a prime way of doing that, and of showing local people that services are readily available on their doorstep.”
Jonathan Best, chief operating officer of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “I’m delighted to say that this new service is already providing much needed support and care to patients, and is part of continuing investment across the Vale of Leven Hospital.
"It’s been a difficult year for so many and improving mental health outcomes across our communities remains a key priority.”
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