This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New children's hospital for Glasgow
24/06/2005
The remit and membership of a clinical advisory group to help deliver a new children's hospital in Glasgow was announced today.
The group, chaired by Professor Andrew Calder, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Edinburgh, comprises:
Dr John McClure, Consultant Anaesthetist, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Brenda Thorpe, Head of Midwifery, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
Dr Phil Booth, Consultant Neonatologist, Aberdeen
Angela Horsley, Assistant Director of Nursing and Paediatric Nurse, Aberdeen
John Orr, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh
Professor Tony Wells, Chief Executive, Tayside NHS Board
Professor David Barlow, Dean of Medicine Glasgow University
Its remit is to:
Health Minister Andy Kerr said:
"The Executive announced last year the availability of £100 million in new investment to provide a new children's hospital for Glasgow, with triple co-location of adult, children's and maternity services providing the gold standard of care. Now it is time for everyone to look forward and play their part in building the future.
"People in Glasgow and across the West of Scotland expect excellent healthcare for their children. This new hospital will provide the best not only for the children of Glasgow but the whole of Scotland for some life saving specialist treatments.
"I am very pleased that Professor Andrew Calder is chairing the advisory group to help drive forward the planning of the hospital.
"The Group brings together leading clinical experts from all over Scotland and will work closely with NHS Greater Glasgow as the board plans and delivers the new hospital.
"For decades, Glasgow's health services have suffered from planning blight. Staff have worked wonders in outdated buildings separated from vital support services. Other great cities have overcome this and now have excellent hospitals delivering modern care.
"Working with NHS Greater Glasgow and with communities across the city, we are putting that right for Glasgow. The new £100 million children's hospital takes the total planned investment to £850 million for first-rate modern hospitals in the period to 2012.
"I am very pleased indeed that Professor Calder's group has agreed to help steer this major project forward. We are making decisions now that will bring benefit to people in Glasgow and across the West of Scotland for many years to come."
In September 2004, the Executive recognised the case for two maternity units in Glasgow and announced £100 million investment for a new children's hospital in Glasgow to replace Yorkhill - on top of the £750 million already earmarked for a new hospital building programme in Glasgow to make modern acute services available across the city.
The announcement followed an extensive public consultation and debate on whether maternity services should be co-located with paediatric (children's) services or adult acute services. The Executive offered additional financial support to enable Greater Glasgow NHS Board to bring forward triple co-location - all three kinds of hospital services on a single site - which has been referred to as the "gold standard" of care.
Mr Kerr said:
"This offers the gold standard solution - money has been made available to support the building of a new children's hospital. This will enable triple co-location, bringing paediatric services onto the same site as maternity and adult acute services.
"There is a great deal to be done before a start can be made on site. We have spent a few months making sure that the preparatory steps were in place. Now I am anxious to see real progress begin as soon as possible. The first step will be for Professor Calder's group to work with NHS Greater Glasgow to identify the most appropriate site for the new facility, within the investment available for a new children's hospital and in line with the requirement for triple co-location. Thereafter the group and the Board will co-operate to ensure senior professional input to service planning and to the public consultation that will be necessary. I have every confidence in the Board's ability to drive this process forward.
"Glasgow people also want their new general hospitals as soon as possible. So I am determined to support NHS Greater Glasgow in keeping up the momentum on Glasgow's hospital renewal programme generally. I will be looking to the new Group and to the Board to plan and deliver the new children's hospital in a way that maintains progress on the agreed hospital renewal programme. People in Glasgow can't wait any longer.
"While timetables are for the Board to work out, getting on with the job now should see building start in 2007 with completion by 2009-10.
"NHS Greater Glasgow have made it absolutely clear that that they will work closely with Professor Calder's Group and that they support the remit I have set. Professor Calder will now set to the task and decide with his group a work programme for taking this important development forward with NHS Greater Glasgow and all other interested parties."
Professor Calder said:
"I am delighted to have been invited by the Minister to take forward this important work. The opportunity to get the highest quality of children's services alongside maternity and adult acute services is now a reality.
"I very much look forward to making a contribution to this exciting initiative."2. Professor Calder's group comprises:
The group will consult with and seek the views of other groups and representative bodies on specific issues.
Triple location of maternity, children's and adults services is recognised by the Child Health Support Group, the national expert advisory body on child health, as the ideal arrangement for the health of children and of mothers. Other areas of the UK such as Manchester are moving towards this model and Belfast has already adopted this configuration.
In Scotland, the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital is co-located with maternity and adult services and this is seen as an excellent arrangement by staff working there.