Concerns as children’s ward at St John’s to close to in-patients

“We are committed to reinstating the full service as soon as possible after the summer.”

The children’s ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston is to close to in-patients from 7 July due to staffing problems. NHS Lothian insists the closure is not permanent, but say that a reduction in opening hours ‘is the safest option for the children of West Lothian’ over summer. The children’s ward has been closed before due to staff shortages.

Children will be assessed and treated in the hospital’s Accident and Emergency department at night and at weekends and the children’s ward will operate on an assessment basis during the week.

NHS Lothian said the closure was not permanent and that children who need admitted will be transferred to Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Jacquie Campbell, Chief Officer of Acute Services, NHS Lothian, said:  “The safety of our patients must be our top priority and this is a difficult and deeply frustrating decision to have to make.

“I would again emphasise our on-going commitment to St John’s Hospital and the children’s ward. This has been demonstrated through the significant investment in recruitment over the years and in the work that went into the RCPCH review.

“We have relied on our dedicated staff from St John’s and across Lothian to work additional hours to provide these important services. Despite our best efforts we have been unable to reliably secure the levels of staffing required overnight and at weekends to guarantee a safe service.

“If we don’t make changes now to the operating hours of the children’s ward, we run the risk of having to make an unplanned closure at a few hours notice, which would lead to the sudden diversion of patients. This reduction in opening hours is the safest option for children in West Lothian.

“We are committed to reinstating the full service as soon as possible after the summer and will be working with the Chief Medical Officer, Scottish Government and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to review the steps we have taken and to identify what else can be done to guarantee safe, sustainable staffing for this service.”

Responding to NHS Lothian’s decision, Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “I am extremely concerned to learn of the planned closure of child inpatient services at St. John’s.  West Lothian is one of the fastest growing parts of Scotland and the loss of this vitally important local service must be addressed.  This brings into sharpest focus the issues facing many parts of the NHS when it comes to recruiting and keeping staff, the heart of the service.

“It seems that an inability to secure a junior doctor, an experienced consultant and an on-call consultant in the ward overnight mean that safe treatment cannot be guaranteed.  Young patients will now require to travel to Edinburgh, with resultant travel and accommodation costs, not to mention additional pressure on the Sick Kids.

“While I appreciate patient safety comes first, I call on the Cabinet Secretary to make the re-opening of this important unit a priority, and I will work with her and colleagues of all parties to achieve this.