Campaign opposes closure of Highland Heartbeat Centre

A campaign has been launched following concerns about the closure of the Highland Heartbeat Centre

Campaigners are opposing moves by NHS Highland to close a centre providing cardiac rehabilitation at Inverness' Raigmore Hospital.

The health board wants to use the space at the Highland Heartbeat Centre for other clinical services.

It said this would mean closing the centre, but the change would not happen until alternative arrangements for those who use it are in place.

The Big Hi-5 Stop campaign said there had not been adequate consultation.

The group representing the cardiac patients and their families also said the centre and its staff provided important, and different, services to those offered by other support groups.

'Outstanding concerns'

NHS Highland said it was unable to say when the site would close as a cardiac rehabilitation centre.

It said the space at the centre was needed for clinical services that needed to be on the Raigmore Hospital site.

A spokesperson for the health board said: "We have been looking at different elements of cardiac rehabilitation including a move to more community-based activities.

"Discussions on this will continue and will also include some joint visits with local group Inverness Bravehearts to look at the alternative arrangements.

"We have the best interests of our service users in mind and want to make sure we deliver as good a service in the short term and going into the future we are looking to provide a better, more flexible and responsive service for cardiac rehabilitation across Highland."

The spokesperson said further work was required to make sure "any outstanding concerns" were addressed.