Friday 15 Aug 2008 @ 16:24
Scottish Government
Scottish Government
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Vale of Leven Hospital
The Vale of Leven Hospital should continue to offer unscheduled care to local residents and visitors according to an expert report published today.
The independent review team reached the unanimous conclusion that a significant proportion of unscheduled care could continue to be offered safely at the Vale. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde had previously announced plans to close the hospital's unscheduled admission unit because of concerns over levels of anaesthetic cover.
While the review team concluded that providing anaesthetic cover at the Vale of Leven was unsustainable, they recommended that the hospital should continue to receive unscheduled cases referred by under agreed protocols.
In their report they said this would ensure an appropriate balance between the delivery of local services and the need to provide the most appropriate specialist care.
Welcoming the review, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the outcome would offer greater clarity to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde when planning future service provision at the Vale.
The review team's key conclusions included:
* Unscheduled medical admissions should continue at the Vale for patients who have been assessed by a doctor prior to admission as suitable for treatment at the Vale
* Unscheduled medical admissions who have not been assessed prior to admission - and who might, therefore, require anaesthetic provision - should be diverted to a suitable hospital, such as the Royal Alexandra Hospital
* Anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven are unsustainable
Ms Sturgeon said:
"The Vale of Leven provides a valuable and valued service to Dunbartonshire residents.
"I welcome the findings of this review which will provide further information for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde as they take forward their future development and investment plans for the Vale of Leven.
"This report clearly shows that there are alternatives to closing the emergency unit which can retain vital services locally without compromising on patient safety.
"When making decisions which have such a direct impact on patients and their relatives, it is important that we have as detailed a picture as possible.
"This review has helped to achieve that and has added greater transparency to the decision-making process, something I know will be welcomed by all those concerned.
"It is important to emphasise that no final decisions have been taken but this report will inform future work."
The independent review was chaired by Professor Chris Dodds, of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in England. It was commissioned by Nicola Sturgeon on June 12 to examine whether it was feasible to maintain on-site anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven and what steps could be taken to secure the sustainability of anaesthetics.
This review comes in the wake of last year's report from the Independent Scrutiny Panel commissioned by the Scottish Government to review proposed service changes at the Vale. The panel suggested that the board should explore further options which might retain unscheduled medical admissions at the hospital.
Related Information
The independent review team reached the unanimous conclusion that a significant proportion of unscheduled care could continue to be offered safely at the Vale. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde had previously announced plans to close the hospital's unscheduled admission unit because of concerns over levels of anaesthetic cover.
While the review team concluded that providing anaesthetic cover at the Vale of Leven was unsustainable, they recommended that the hospital should continue to receive unscheduled cases referred by under agreed protocols.
In their report they said this would ensure an appropriate balance between the delivery of local services and the need to provide the most appropriate specialist care.
Welcoming the review, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the outcome would offer greater clarity to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde when planning future service provision at the Vale.
The review team's key conclusions included:
* Unscheduled medical admissions should continue at the Vale for patients who have been assessed by a doctor prior to admission as suitable for treatment at the Vale
* Unscheduled medical admissions who have not been assessed prior to admission - and who might, therefore, require anaesthetic provision - should be diverted to a suitable hospital, such as the Royal Alexandra Hospital
* Anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven are unsustainable
Ms Sturgeon said:
"The Vale of Leven provides a valuable and valued service to Dunbartonshire residents.
"I welcome the findings of this review which will provide further information for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde as they take forward their future development and investment plans for the Vale of Leven.
"This report clearly shows that there are alternatives to closing the emergency unit which can retain vital services locally without compromising on patient safety.
"When making decisions which have such a direct impact on patients and their relatives, it is important that we have as detailed a picture as possible.
"This review has helped to achieve that and has added greater transparency to the decision-making process, something I know will be welcomed by all those concerned.
"It is important to emphasise that no final decisions have been taken but this report will inform future work."
The independent review was chaired by Professor Chris Dodds, of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in England. It was commissioned by Nicola Sturgeon on June 12 to examine whether it was feasible to maintain on-site anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven and what steps could be taken to secure the sustainability of anaesthetics.
This review comes in the wake of last year's report from the Independent Scrutiny Panel commissioned by the Scottish Government to review proposed service changes at the Vale. The panel suggested that the board should explore further options which might retain unscheduled medical admissions at the hospital.
Related Information
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/anaesthtics-vol-review
