NHS charity bosses stall Maggie's centre plan for Dumfries

Plans to build a Maggie's centre in Dumfries have stalled after NHS charity bosses refused to fund the project.

Trustees of the health board's endowment fund said they could not commit to an initial outlay of £1m and ongoing support of £80,000 a year.

Campaigners want to see the cancer care centre built next to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

They point out that the endowment fund - a charity which relies on community fundraising - has a balance of more than £10m and last year its total expenditure was about £1m.

Maggie's say they remain committed to building a centre in the hometown of their founder, Maggie Keswick Jencks.

Members of the health board's endowment committee took the decision not to fund the project in 2024/25 and "in all likelihood" 2025/26 on 18 March.

BBC Scotland News has not been able to obtain the minutes of that meeting but NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirmed the decision.

A spokesman for the board said all the trustees were "hugely supportive" of the Maggie's model and recognised the benefits it could bring to Dumfries.

"However, it was noted that they do not feel the board's charity can commit to the required scale of resource in initial outlay and in ongoing support," he added.

The trustees pointed to the moratorium on new NHS building projects announced by the Scottish government in February and the board's £35m financial deficit.

But they said that if the "ambitious redesign and cost reduction programme" was successful, the position could be revisited in the future.

"The board conveyed their disappointment to Maggie’s that the proposal could not be brought to fruition at this time," the spokesman added.

"However, it recognised that the current situation precluded this development being taken forward at this stage, and it would be kept under review."

Andrew Walls, a former consultant surgeon and medical director at the Dumfries hospital, is frustrated by the decision.

"The Maggie's movement is not asking the board to fund or pump prime the development from the Scottish government allocation," he said.

"We are seeking to use funds that have been gifted to the board philanthropically and are absolutely not available to the board for any shoring up of their overspend.

"The trustees have taken it on themselves to dictate that Maggie's request falls outside their self-imposed limits of spending. I am unaware of anything in the endowment fund's constitution that supports that position."

Mr Walls is one of several campaigners who have been calling for the creation of a Maggie's centre in Dumfries for 10 years, with little success.

They say it would provide a vital service for people diagnosed with cancer in Dumfries and Galloway, and their families.

About 1,000 people in the region are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to Public Health Scotland.

Campaigners say the cancer care centre would also be a tribute to Maggie Keswick Jencks, the Dumfries native who inspired the charity set up in her name.

She wanted to create a positive and welcoming space for people with cancer and their families before she died of the disease in 1995.

There are now Maggie's centres across the UK, including eight in Scotland, which offer expert care and support.

Mr Walls said: "The fight for a centre in Dumfries goes on.... I know there is a continuing desire [at Maggie's] to have a centre near to where Maggie Jencks lived.

"The route we have taken in the past has met too many obstacles so the time is right for a new approach."

Maggie's said it had been working with Dumfries and Galloway health board on a proposal for a new centre for almost 10 years.

"We believe that a Maggie’s centre in Dumfries would make a significant impact on the lives of people with cancer, their families and friends," it said.

"We would really like to see a Maggie’s centre in the home of our founder Maggie Keswick Jencks and ensure people living with cancer in Dumfries and Galloway can access our expert support on their doorstep."