This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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NHS Ayrshire and Arran
15/12/2006
Modernisation proposals submitted by NHS Ayrshire and Arran have been endorsed by Heath Minister Andy Kerr.
They include capital investment of £50 million for hospital and community services across the region, subject to further work which the Board will carry out in advance of any changes.
Mr Kerr said that £30 million from this total would be provided by the Executive to guarantee the future of Ayr Hospital by financing the theatre project a year ahead of plan, and the integrated Cancer Unit two years ahead of plan.
Changes will see Ayr Hospital becoming a specialised planned care facility, with dedicated in-patient facilities, theatres and the support services necessary to provide a wide range of services. The specialist Cancer Unit will be the site for a number of Ayrshire-wide services including general surgery, opthamology, urology and orthopaedics.
Mr Kerr has received an absolute assurance from the NHS Board that the current accident and emergency (A&E) service at Ayr Hospital will not cease until five new Community Casualty Facilities (CCFs) are fully operational.
The CCFs will be in Ayr, Kilmarnock, Girvan, Irvine and Cumnock with the aim of maintaining care at a local level for the majority of emergency injuries and illnesses through multi-disciplinary teams supported by diagnostic and telemedicine services.
Unscheduled and emergency services will be provided at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, along with complex planned surgery services, a new Emergency Care Facility and Combined Assessment Unit, maternity services, paediatric services, medical in-patient services and critical care services.
In approving NHS Ayrshire and Arran's proposals, Mr Kerr has been clear that the Board must develop the necessary infrastructure before any changes are made to A&E services.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran will be taking forward work on extending local transport options, reviewing local ambulance provision and increasing the number of paramedics available before service change takes place.
Mr Kerr said:
"I believe these proposals provide a sound basis for the provision of comprehensive, high quality and sustainable health care services for Ayrshire and Arran.
"They maximise the well-recognised benefits of separating planned from unscheduled care, make more efficient and effective use of community hospital resources, and allow for quicker access to specialist and complex services - all key principles in Delivering for Health.
"Ayr Hospital will be the lead site for planned care, providing region-wide services along with a new Cancer Unit. The Executive will help to support this by making £30 million in additional capital resources available over the four years from 2009.
"Crosshouse Hospital at Kilmarnock will become the centre for unscheduled and emergency care, as well as complex planned surgery and a range of other services including maternity and paediatrics.
"New Community Casualty Facilities are to operate 24/7 at Ayr and Crosshouse, and will also operate on an extended hours basis at the new Girvan Community Hospital, Ayrshire Central Hospital, Irvine and East Ayrshire Community Hospital, Cumnock. It is estimated that the CCFs will absorb around half of the current attendances at Ayr and Crosshouse A&E Departments.
"Transport issues featured prominently in the Board's consultation and I know that they are taking forward a number of initiatives including the appointment of a transport co-ordinator. A shuttle bus service has already been established between Ayr and Crosshouse Hospitals and this service is being evaluated. I want to see it extended to connect to the town centres of Ayr and Kilmarnock, which operate as transport hubs for connecting services across the whole of Ayrshire. The service should be available for the use of patients, relatives and staff and should be in place by the time A&E provision changes at Ayr Hospital.
"Ambulance service provision is clearly a vital component in making these plans work. There is a need to increase the number of paramedics and to review the deployment of emergency ambulances before any A&E changes take place. I know that the Board and the Ambulance Service are working together on this, and I am also instructing them to consider moving the SAS South Ayrshire base from Ayr centre to Ayr Hospital so that we get the right linkages with the Community Casualty Facility.
"Service change and modernisation is never easy. But the NHS cannot stand still. I believe NHS Ayrshire and Arran's plans will, over time, transform health services and deliver much improved patient care."
John Callaghan, NHS Ayrshire and Arran Employee Director and co-chair of the Area Partnership Forum staff side (which represents unions and management), said:
"We are supportive of NHS Ayrshire and Arran and recognise the need for change. We also recognise the effort that has been put into this project and the engagement that has taken place with staff and wish to continue to support this process, ensuring not only the best care for the patients of Ayrshire and Arran, but also the greatest improvements for our staff."
Sam Kennedy, General Manager, Scottish Ambulance Service Southwest Region, said:
"The Scottish Ambulance Service deploys highly skilled crews to every immediate life-threatening call. Given the geography and terrain of Scotland, the Ambulance Service are used to stabilising and transferring patients over long journeys and are therefore well prepared, trained and equipped to support these changes."