NHS quash PRI claims
paediatric care and children’s services” at PRI.
A spokesperson went on to reveal changes are in the pipeline in terms of how children are cared for, with treatment currently carried out in the Children’s Ambulatory Care Unit (CACU) set to move to an outpatient unit within the same area of the hospital.
Currently the CACU, which has four beds, only provides outpatient and day care from 10am until 6pm on weekdays.
However, NHS Tayside hope the potential switch will create the potential for 400 more child outpatient appointments at PRI every year.
Professor John Connell, NHS Tayside’s chairman, said: “NHS Tayside would like to reassure communities in Perth and Kinross that we are absolutely committed to retaining paediatric care and children’s services at Perth Royal Infirmary.
“Our doctors are currently reviewing how families access children’s services across Tayside to ensure high quality, safe care for children and their families. We want to be able to provide more services locally for Tayside children and therefore our redesign plans are focusing on providing more outpatient appointments across the region.
“Our local paediatric clinicians are looking at plans to not only retain paediatric care at Perth Royal Infirmary, but also enhance services provided to families in Perth and Kinross.
“We are proposing to transfer our outpatient care for children at PRI from the Children’s Ambulatory Care Unit (CACU) at PRI to an enhanced outpatient unit in the same area of the hospital.”
Professor Connell continued: “Making this change to how we deliver our services will create the opportunity to increase the number of children’s outpatient appointments provided at PRI by around 400 per year. This will allow more children from Perth and Kinross to see a consultant paediatrician closer to home and will provide better continuity of care for them.
“Acutely unwell children will continue to be cared for in the specialist Tayside Children’s Hospital [in Dundee], which provides specialist paediatric care for acutely unwell children from Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus.”
Professor Connell added: “We have already had early discussions with our staff about this proposed redesign and will continue to involve them as our plans progress.
“The final details of the redesign have not been decided and are the subject of ongoing discussions with staff, our clinicians and the NHS Tayside board in the coming weeks.
“There is no confirmed timeline to implement the changes.”
Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, said: “For me this is still a worrying time for the staff at PRI because of the talks and consultations on retaining things going forward. PRI has in the past been in a situation where there are fears about its future.
“NHS Tayside has budget issues, which has an impact on its services, so I am reassured to a certain level to hear this, but not completely reassured, because we can’t retain everything.
“I acknowledge they have difficulty and their budget is of major concern, but reassured they are consulting with staff. I am also concerned about the angst this talk will cause around the community, both in the hospital and outwith.”