£10m health savings plan proposed

A ward at the hospital could be closed during the summer months

NHS Borders has drawn up a list of potential cost-cutting measures in order to meet a savings target of £10m over the next three years.

Among its plans is the summer closure of a palliative care ward at Borders General Hospital near Melrose.

Chief executive John Glennie said the moves were about using resources as efficiently as possible.

MSP Jeremy Purvis described it as "the biggest single threat to NHS services in the Borders for a generation".

Under the proposals, the number of beds available at other hospitals in the region would also be reduced in the summer months.

However, NHS Borders said this would enable it to cope with peaks of demand through the winter.

"This is a summer closure measure, not a permanent measure," Mr Glennie said.

"We are trying to make sure we use resources as efficiently as we can."