JACKIE Baillie has called for an official probe into higher than normal death rates at the Vale of Leven Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
The latest NHS statistics show 9 per cent more deaths than expected at the two hospitals. This is the fourth time in a row that mortality rates at the Vale and the RAH have been flagged up for being above the warning limit.
The figures for both hospitals have been combined so the death rates for each individual hospital are unknown.
Ms Baillie has contacted NHS Scotland’s Information Services Division to demand a breakdown of the figures for the Vale of Leven and the RAH.
The MSP said: "For this to happen not once, not even twice, but four times in a row is worrying, and we need a greater understanding of why more people are dying than expected in our local hospitals.
"As a first step, the figures for each individual hospital must be published so we know whether the problem is within the RAH or the Vale of Leven Hospital.
"Only then will we know what action the health board needs to take to bring the figures into line with the national picture across Scotland."
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