Deadline for consultation about transferring kids services looms
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde wants people to have their say about shifting some paediatric services from Paisley to Glasgow
The public is being asked to have their say about controversial plans to re-locate childrens services from Paisley to Glasgow as the consultation deadline looms.
The board at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is proposing to transfer paediatric emergency, elective inpatient and day case care from the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) to the new Royal Hopsital for Sick Children.
The three month consulation launched a month ago and will run until Monday 6th February 2017 with four public information events also being held at The Tontine Hotel on 09 and 11 January, and at the Wynd Centre on 17 and 20 January. The proposal to move the Paediatric Inpatient Services from Ward 15 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children was originally made in 2012. That engagement showed the preferred option was to transfer the inpatient service to the new Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) when it opened. The board is proposing to go ahead with this preferred option which would see paediatric emergency, elective inpatient and day case care transferring from the RAH to the RHC. Under the proposals, the majority of care provided to children would continue to be provided locally. Outpatient services, the specialist Community Paediatric service (PANDA), and emergency care for those who self-refer would all remain at the RAH. As part of the engagement process in September, audiences at public meetings in Paisley’s Glynhill Hotel heard from a panel of children’s doctors and senior nurse that the move would improve the care for children in Clyde by giving them access to world class facilities.
Health board bosses claim it would give patients access to the latest technology and specialist children’s equipment available in the hospital including nine dedicated children’s theatres, five state of the art laparoscopic theatres, and a paediatric critical care unit of 20 intensive care beds and two high dependency beds. Catriona Renfrew, Director of Planning and Policy, NHSGGC, said: “The consultation has been running for a month and I would encourage parents, patients and carers to share their views on what the board is proposing. “We’re also holding four consultation events in January where we can further explain the many clinical benefits of the proposed service changes and answer any questions people may have. “The Royal Hospital for Children is one of the finest paediatric teaching hospitals in the UK, and the largest in Scotland. The entire focus of RHC is around children and young people, with care provided in a child friendly environment. “This proposal would see young patients from Clyde benefitting from the same first class, state-of-the-art facilities as other children who already attend the hospital from across the West of Scotland. “It’s important to understand that this is not about the quality of care at the RAH. The quality of care has been good for many years. However, the RAH simply cannot match the facilities at the state-of-the-art specialist children’s hospital.”