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Success for Re-opening of Tarves Surgery
Tarves Community Council and campaigners to save Tarves Surgery are pleased to announce that Haddo Medical Group are planning to re-open Tarves Surgery in February 2013. An advert for staff will go out early January and they will need to be recruited and trained.
Community Council Chairman Bob Davidson, Chris York, David Hekelaar and local Councillor Paul Johnston met with Haddo Medical Group to discuss the arrangements. The move to open is made as a response to their public commitment to do this when the decision to keep dispensing at Pitmedden Surgery was taken. The Haddo Medical Group were thanked by the Community representatives for their commitment to the local area.
Haddo medical group also welcomed the launch of B999 Health Trust. The project is a bid for a Community OWNED Pharmacy in Pitmedden. The profits of a community Company are solely for the improvement of health care in the area and will partly go to help the provision of GP and other medical Services in Tarves, Pitmedden and Methlick.
B999 Health trust information is available at: http://www.B999.org.uk/
The unpaid volunteer directors include members of the Community Council, local residents and Cllr Johnston. The people of Pitmedden and Udny are being directly consulted about the proposal and a public consultation meeting for all interested local people is being held on January 9th in Pitmedden Public Hall.
The proposal will mean that Pitmedden will have a pharmacy to improve services there. The opening of the Tarves surgery will go to support the existing Tarves Pharmacy, while Methlick maintains its dispensing branch surgery. The improvement would be that each village, would have access to their doctors and pharmacy without separate and and difficult journeys for some.
The funding to re-open Tarves surgery is insufficient to allow the previous service and the B999 Health Trust is hoping that this situation will improve along with services in Udny, if the Pitmedden Pharmacy bid is successful.
Christmas and New Year Bus Times
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Concern at Tarves Vandalism
Recent vandalism at Tarves Primary School and a local shop has concerned local Councillors Paul Johnston and Cryle Shand. The issue was raised at Tarves Community Council where Councillor Johnston said he was in the process of contacting the local police inspector.
It had been suggested that recent complaints about activity around the front of the school and around the Pharmacy which had been reported to the police were not acted on. Police, who normally attend the Community meetings to liaise with the Community Council have been absent for recent meetings and their absence meant the rising concerns would not be known by police liaison officers.
Ellon based Police Inspector, John McClusky has responded saying Police will be present at meetings of the Community Council and they are carrying out enquiries into the Tarves incidents at the School and Pharmacy.
Community Council chairman Bob Davidson had highlighted that the rise in vandalism first at the school and later elsewhere including the pharmacy was a worrying trend that needed nipped in the bud. The issue will be regularly included on the Community Council agenda.
The Community Council has public meetings, Third Tuesday of each Month accept December when it meets on the second Tuesday.
Thanks to Local Business for donation
TARVES Primary School enjoyed a bit of festive cheer, after a £250 donation from a local business towards a new sound system for the school’s Hall. Local undertaker Bill Massie and wife Elaine made the donation on Friday morning, after viewing the school Christmas concert performance in the Melvin Hall last week. Mr and Mrs Massie were joined by daughter Maureen, who said her father had been moved to make the donation after being impressed by the youngsters’ performance, and by the fact that the family had a ninety-year, four-generation link to the school.
Headmistress Heather Scott said the money would be put to good use purchasing a new audio system for the hall.
“We have to thank Mr Massie for this wonderful gift, which will go towards a Coomber audio system. We had been saving, however this donation will allow us to buy the best system available.”
Tarves surgery set to reopen
Tarves folk are celebrating following a tentative decision to reopen Tarves surgery in the New Year. Confirmation that the GP facility is set to open its doors again within weeks comes after scores of local residents gathered outside the building in September to mark its closure. Haddo Medical Group said at the time the surgery was no longer financially viable following withdrawal of dispensing by NHS Grampian. The closure provoked an angry reaction from villagers and local politicians and a vigorous campaign has been under way to persuade health bosses to reconsider.
The commitment had come from Haddo Medical Group to reopen the facility if they could retain dispensing and then the decision by NHS Grampian on December 4, allowed the group to retain dispensing services at their Pitmedden surgery. The group’s practice manager Viv Tanner said that the surgery would be be open to patients early in the New Year as part of their commitment, but it was not at the previous level as funding for the provision has yet to be clarified. She said notices had been put up at the building announcing the move, which had been welcomed by villagers. She added: “It will be a reduced service and dates and times have still to be finalised.”
The local group of Community Councils and others set up to make the case for dispensing, siad through, Chris York . He said: “It is fantastic and just the outcome we have been fighting for. We managed to keep dispensing services in Pitmedden and the reopening of the surgery is a natural progression.”
Local politicians also hailed the decision.
Mid Formartine Councillor Paul Johnston also welcomed the decision, praising the campaigning of Tarves residents and local community council leaders. He said that once the retention of dispensing services at Pitmedden had been secured it had been anticipated that doctors might be able to open the surgery at Tarves
MSP Alex Salmond said: “Following an effective campaign by the community, backed by local representatives, Haddo Medical Group will continue to dispense to patients from their Pitmedden practice. I now look forward to the Tarves branch surgery reopening, in line with the commitment given to local residents. This is in the best interests of local healthcare provision and in the best interests of the community.”
Gordon MP Sir Malcolm Bruce said: “I am delighted that a long campaign by the local community has led to a really positive outcome whereby Tarves gets back its GP surgery along with its community pharmacy and Pitmedden continues to have local dispensing at the surgery. I thank the GPs for their positive response and NHS Grampian for a carefully judged review of their previous decision.”