Public consultations on changes to surgical provision in Tayside

Public consultations will be held in Perthshire next week as part of NHS Tayside plans to change surgical provision across the region.

The health authority wants to retain three surgical units at Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) and at Ninewells and Stracathro Hospitals for patients with appointments, but all unscheduled operations will go to Ninewells 24-hours-aday.

Two presentations will be held in Pitlochry Town Hall on Monday, one from 3-5pm, and one from 5.30-7pm.

Another session will be held at Perth and Kinross Council headquarters in Perth, on Thursday, from 5-7pm.

Critics have expressed concerns about patients in Perth and Kinross having to travel to Dundee for unscheduled surgery.

At the moment, around 20% of these operations in Tayside take place at PRI.

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said the authority faced “significant challenges”, including caring for an ageing population, an increasing number of people with long-term and multiple conditions, a shortage of some health staff and growing demand for services.

“For these reasons, NHS Tayside can’t keep delivering health services the way they have always delivered them.

Services throughout NHS Tayside need to adapt to ensure they meet the current and future needs of the population,” she said.

“Surgeons, doctors, nurses and other members of the clinical team are leading this proposed change and they have explored many options of how surgery can be transformed in Tayside.”

Professor Peter Stonebridge, consultant in vascular surgery, added: “We know we have to make changes to the way surgical services in Tayside are delivered.”

The public consultation, which began on July 3, will run until October 3.