The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon opens trauma centre at Ninewells Hospital.
Pledge to support NHS made by first minister on visit to new emergency unit in Dundee
PAUL MALIK First Minister Nicola Sturgeon opened Scotland’s latest major trauma centre in Dundee yesterday.
The East of Scotland centre is the second of its type in the country, after its Aberdeen counterpart was launched last month.
The centre was first meant to open in 2016 but the Scottish Trauma Network will not be fully operational until at least 2021, the first minister said.
Ms Sturgeon unveiled a plaque at the centre, which is located within the Ninewells A&E concourse, and met NHS Tayside chairman John Brown and chief executive Malcolm Wright, as well as consultants and patients recovering from traumatic incidents.
The centre and team will allow for “seamless” patient care, from the moment a casualty is treated at the scene of an accident to the day they are discharged and beyond.
The network has received £5 million and will be further supported with an additional £10.2m from this year’s budget.
Dr Michael Johnston, clinical lead for major trauma and consultant in emergency medicine with NHS Tayside, said: “This centre will see the establishment of a major trauma service providing co-ordinated highly specialist treatment, care and rehabilitation for the most critically-injured patients.
“The major trauma service is about creating a dedicated speciality team around the patient.
“This begins at the roadside and continues until the patient arrives at the centre where the assembled hospital based trauma team is ready to receive them, until the patient is discharged.
“This collaborative way of working ensures treatment is brought forward at the correct time and, crucially, making sure that rehabilitation starts very early in the patient’s pathway of care.
“We know that this way of working does produce better outcomes for seriously injured patients.”
The first minister said: “The Scottish Government has already ensured funding per head of population in Scotland is already higher than it is in the rest of the UK. The gap there is around £850m a year so we have given very strong commitments.
“There will be implications for the health service from Brexit and the more chaotic those negotiations are the more serious the impact will be. But in terms of funding we have got plans going forward to make sure the NHS will be properly protected.
“It will be 2021 before the trauma network is complete with the four major centres, but already you will be able to see the difference this approach is making to people’s lives.”
We have plans going forward to ensure the NHS is properly protected. NICOLA STURGEON