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Dumfries and Galloway NHS
03/04/2009
An independent review is to be held into NHS Dumfries and Galloway's proposals to redesign healthcare in the region.
The review, commissioned by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, will take place before the health board consults on proposals which include:
- use and configuration of nine community hospitals in the region
- refurbishment of the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary to introduce more single-bed rooms
The Independent Scrutiny Panel will be chaired by Professor Frank Clark CBE, who is currently Convenor of the Care Commission.
Ms Sturgeon said:
"We know that local healthcare services are very much valued by the people of Scotland and, when someone in the family is ill, having services close to home can make a big difference.
"That's why I am committed to ensuring that healthcare remains local and I have commissioned this expert panel to robustly scrutinise the Board's proposals to redesign healthcare in Dumfries and Galloway."
Professor Clark will be supported by a team of two panel members who have expertise on healthcare provision in remote and rural communities.
They are:
- Gordon Peterkin a former GP, NHS Medical Director and Director of the Scottish Centre for Telehealth
- Professor Jane Farmer who works at the Centre for Rural Health in Highlands and Islands University
The work will start this month and is expected to complete within six weeks. The specialist team will produce a report for Ms Sturgeon and this will inform the public consultation.
The Scottish Health Council has also been asked to assess whether the pre-consultation proposals have taken account of the views of local stakeholders.
The aim of independent scrutiny is to provide assurance to the public that all of the factors relevant to service change have been explored thoroughly and fully taken into account, therefore helping to maintain confidence in the change process.
Independent scrutiny has been applied to three sets of NHS service change proposals to date - all within the term of the current government. In 2008, independent scrutiny was applied to proposals for NHS services in Ayrshire and Arran, Lanarkshire and the Clyde areas of Greater Glasgow and Clyde.