Health Secretary has today officially opened Scotland’s first National
Treatment Centre at the NHS Golden Jubilee, and announced an
additional £11.5m in funding as part of efforts to remobilise the
NHS in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NHS Golden Jubilee ‘Eye Centre’, phase one of Scotland’s
first National Treatment Centre, is part of the planned
expansion of the hospital, and began seeing patients in
November 2020.
Work on the second phase of the National Treatment Centre is
already underway and is expected to be completed by June 2023.
This will enable the NHS Golden Jubilee to carry out thousands
of additional hip and knee replacements and other orthopaedic
procedures annually, as well as significantly expanding
diagnostic testing and general surgery.
Mr Yousaf thanked staff at the national centre, which has
trebled its endoscopy programme and other services to treat
cancer patients during the pandemic, and he announced an
additional £11.5 million to help reduce waiting times as part
of NHS remobilisation efforts.
He said: “I am delighted to formally open the NHS Golden
Jubilee Eye Centre, the first National Treatment Centre for NHS
Scotland.
“This forms part of our capital programme to deliver a network
of elective, diagnostic and treatment centres across Scotland
and is the largest ever investment in elective care
infrastructure in NHS Scotland with an overall investment of
£330 million.
“The centre here at the NHS Golden Jubilee has been operational
since November 2020 to specifically support Ophthalmology
services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it is only now that we
have been able to visit to see this crucial development in the
way we deliver planned care.
“Not only has the centre started treating patients during such
unprecedented times but it has increased the number of
ophthalmology procedures undertaken by the NHS Golden Jubilee
by almost 47%. I cannot thank the NHS staff here enough for
their drive and determination to support planned care through
this most difficult period.
“As part of the ongoing efforts here at the NHS Golden Jubilee
I am pleased to announce an additional £11.5 million has been
made available to support current activity going through this
national facility. This will provide targeted capacity to
deliver activity for some of our most challenged specialities
including diagnostic testing and orthopaedic surgery. With this
the Board will also support the delivery of those vital and
urgent cancer surgeries ensuring patients are treated in a
timely manner.
“This is only two of many initiatives that will form part of
our NHS Recovery Plan in which this Government will publish in
the coming weeks.”
Jann Gardner, Chief Executive, NHS Golden Jubilee, said:
“As a national resource, NHS Golden Jubilee has supported NHS
remobilisation by continuing to provide planned care services
such as hip and knee replacements, cataracts, general surgery
and diagnostic imaging. During 2020, we trebled our endoscopy
programme and expanded our services to treat the most urgent
heart, lung and cancer patients who would otherwise have waited
longer for procedures.
“We are also delighted that we managed to open the NHS Golden
Jubilee Eye Centre - the first of the planned National
Treatment Centres. This started treating patients in November
2020 and this year is estimated to carry out over 12,000
cataract procedures, an increase in the numbers of patients at
least three years ahead of schedule.
“We now look forward to benefiting patients across Scotland
with our new Surgical Centre, which is due to be completed in
2023. The new Centre will carry out planned operations and
focus on demand areas such as additional orthopaedic,
diagnostic endoscopy, and general surgery.”
Background:
To support Boards since May 2020, NHS Golden Jubilee has
provided over seven different surgical specialities
(osteosarcoma, colorectal surgery, ENT, urology including
cystectomy, Gynaecology, Breast surgery, plastic surgery) and
carried out over 800 cancer and urgent operations for patients
from Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran
and Highland.
During the pandemic, NHS Golden Jubilee trebled their
diagnostic endoscopy programme with three rooms compared with
one pre-COVID to increase access to timely diagnosis for
patients with urgent suspicion of cancer.
Phase 1 expansion - Eye Centre
NHS Golden Jubilee accelerated the opening of their eye centre
– the first of the planned National Treatment Centres to go
live. This started treating patients in November 2020 and has
worked to deliver increased capacity ahead of schedule.
The Board has increased their Ophthalmology activity by 47%,
which is 1,000 more procedures than the initial business case.
This has been a very ambitious target as the original delivery
date was 2024.
Phase 2 expansion – Surgical Centre
It is anticipated that NHS Golden Jubilee’s Phase 2 Expansion
will be completed by June 2023.
