The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee trauma centre to open this autumn
Ninewells site is one of four connected centres dealing with injuries
The Ninewells operation of Scotland’s major trauma network will be up and running in the autumn, the health secretary has said.
The Dundee site is one of four connected centres that will deal with the worst injuries, including life-threatening stabbings and car collisions.
Ministers said four years ago the centres would be operational from 2016.
Shona Robison, the health secretary and Dundee East MSP, has now revealed the Dundee and Aberdeen centres will be launched as part of the network this autumn.
With other centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh, they will treat the most seriously injured patients.
The full roll-out will be phased in over the next three to five years, she added.
Ms Robison said: “When fully implemented, it is envisaged that the Scottish Trauma Network will improve care and outcomes for around 6,000 trauma patients each year.
“Furthermore, the additional investment in enhanced pre-hospital, diagnostic, acute and rehabilitation services is expected to benefit many more severely ill patients.”
Lewis Macdonald, the Labour MSP for the North East, said the timetable is a “welcome clarification” and said doctors and other staff can now continue their preparations for the roll-out.
Explaining the need for the centres last year, Scotland’s chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said: “Each year in Scotland, around 5,000 people are seriously injured, with around 1,000 cases being defined as ‘major trauma’.
“For each trauma fatality, there are two survivors with serious or permanent disability that will have significant impact on quality of life.
“These severely injured patients require highly specialised care, extended hospital stays and extensive rehabilitation.”
On a visit to Dundee last year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced an extra £5 million for establishing the network. She said: “The Scottish trauma network will connect and coordinate clinical teams across the country – giving patients, particularly those with major trauma, access to better care and rehabilitation support, and ensure they get taken to the right place as quickly as possible.”