Tag: accident and emergency

Contracts signed for new Sick Kids hospital

RHSC and DCN view from above alt_jpgConstruction of a major new healthcare facility is set to start after the financial contracts were agreed yesterday. The new £150 million building will see services from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service brought together in a modern and high-quality setting at Little France.

Construction works will start over the next few weeks and the new building, which will adjoin the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, is expected to open in autumn 2017.
The six storey building (including basement) will have a large atrium with a shop and café, a stunning skylight linking both hospital entrances, a helipad on the roof and a link building adjoining adult and paediatric emergency departments.
It will also bring with it an increase in single rooms with ensuite facilities and a range of new technology.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “This is a momentous date for this project and I’m personally very pleased that work will soon be about to begin on the new co-located Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences.
“The new development brings paediatric care, specialist neonatal care, neurosciences and adult and children’s emergency departments all together in one place, making access to services much easier for patients and health professionals alike.
“The Scottish Government is investing over £2 billion in Scotland’s health infrastructure over the spending review period, with this development being one of many that demonstrate the Scottish Government’s commitment to continually improving health services. The investment in this development will ensure the hospital campus at Little France can continue to develop as a modern hub of research and medical practice.”
Susan Goldsmith, Finance Director, NHS Lothian said: “We are delighted to have reached this point and now look forward with anticipation to seeing the new facility taking shape over the coming years.
“This is an extremely exciting time in the proud history of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, along with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, which will find a high-quality new home at Little France from 2017.
“The building designs have been heavily influenced by staff, patients and families and, in addition to offering a modern, light and spacious environment, will also enhance the clinical services we deliver.”
RHSC and DCN view from above_jpg
Mark Bradshaw, IHS Lothian and Macquarie Capital said: “We are excited that construction will soon start on The Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences. This state-of-the-art facility will allow the delivery of quality healthcare services to the people of the Lothian region and beyond for decades to come.
“It has been a pleasure to partner with the Lothian NHS Board and the Scottish Futures Trust to develop an innovative and competitive financing structure that will ensure value for money over the next 25 years.”
Peter Reekie, Scottish Futures Trust, deputy chief executive and director of investments said: “This is a fantastic deal for NHS Lothian and its partners, bringing investment into the Lothians and allowing construction to start on a great new building which will support many hundreds of jobs as it is built.”
Some key features of the new facility include:
  • 233 beds and 10 theatres. 154 beds in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, 67 beds in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and 12 beds in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
  • 11 beds will be added to the critical care department within the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
  • The specifically designed family hotel will mean that the experience for families whose child has to spend time in hospital is more homely.
  • Conjoined children’s and adult Emergency Departments will mean that the most appropriate services are available to teenagers who currently do not always fit well into either service.
  • Patients in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service suffering from physical illness and mental health problems will benefit from the immediate availability of both specialities.
  • The Department of Clinical Neurosciences will make neurology and neurosurgery available to all age groups on a single site, meaning potentially quicker treatment is available. One advantage will be that patients who present to the Emergency Department at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and who subsequently turn out to need neurosurgery will no longer need to be transferred to the Western General Hospital.
  • The most modern imaging equipment within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences along with its adjacency to the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic and the Clinical Research Imaging Centre will allow the Department of Clinical Neurosciences to further enhance its position as a leading clinical and academic neurosciences centre.

Ten years on, EMRS still has STARring role in saving lives

emrs1The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Shona Robison, met members of the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) and ambulance paramedics to mark the 10th anniversary of the life saving service yesterday.

Originally set up as a pilot with just eight volunteer consultants from emergency medicine, anaesthetics and intensive care backgrounds, EMRS now operates a 24/7 service across the country from the heliport in Glasgow with 27 consultants, and is an integral part of Scotland’s new national retrieval service, ScotSTAR.

ScotSTAR is the world-class national specialist transport and retrieval service for critically ill NHS patients in Scotland, which was launched in April this year. The £9.5 million initiative brings together the three transport and retrieval services: the Scottish Neonatal Service (SNTS), the Transport of Critically Ill and Injured Children Service and the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service with the Scottish Ambulance Service, which co-ordinates the teams using road and air ambulances.

EMRS doctors take the resuscitation room to the patient wherever they may be, working closely with ambulance crews on Service air ambulance aircraft, MOD/Coastguard helicopters and by road. The service has completed more than 3,000 retrievals since it’s launch in 2004. The team also responds alongside ambulance staff to trauma cases, serious accidents and major incidents in the Greater Glasgow area and beyond using their own rapid response cars.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “Critical illness or injury can strike anywhere, at any time, and patients can often be some distance from the essential medical treatment they need. Scotland’s Emergency Medical Retrieval Service have, for the last decade, provided these people with a lifeline.

“Over the last ten years, this service has meant the difference between life and death to some people – and it is important the heroic efforts of the team are recognised.

“Since the EMRS was initially established, it has grown and developed in to a national service that now provides care to patients across Scotland. This Government has supported that roll-out, demonstrating our continued commitment to providing a world-class dedicated transport and retrieval service to patients in remote and rural communities.”

David Garbutt, Chairman, Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Since its establishment in 2004, EMRS has proved to be a pioneering life-saving service, internationally recognised and now an integral part of Scotland’s new world class national retrieval service, ScotSTAR.

“ScotSTAR’s co-ordinated approach brings greater efficiencies and ensures there is consistency across Scotland for how our most critically ill adults, babies and children are transported.”

Dr Stephen Hearns, Clinical Lead, Emergency Medical Retrieval Service, said: “The EMRS service, which started as a pilot ten years ago, has proved its value as a specialist life saving service that delivers critical pre-hospital care wherever it is needed across Scotland, whether on a remote island or at the scene of a road accident.

“It is a fantastic example of cross specialty working with consultants in emergency medicine, anaesthesia and intensive care from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. They work closely as a team with ambulance paramedics and Bond’s pilots to provide a first class service that meets the challenges of Scotland’s geography and rurality.”

On primary retrievals the EMRS team can provide advanced interventions at the scene such as intubation and ventilation, surgical airway, surgical chest intervention, joint and fracture reduction, blood transfusion and triage to the most appropriate hospital for definitive care.

ScotSTAR expects to undertake around 2,200 cases every year in Scotland where specialist, highly skilled, clinical teams are required to manage the care of patients during transport by air and road. These specialised retrievals are clinically complex and take much longer than a normal emergency response.