Two Lothian care homes are under investigation by NHS Lothian following significant coronavirus outbreaks.
53 cases have been reported in Redmill Care home in Broxburn while 29 people have tested positive for the virus in Millford House Care Home in Duddingston.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones who have died from this cruel virus at these care homes.
“Since the start of the covid-19 outbreak care homes have been by far where the highest proportion of deaths have been, with residents at higher risk to Covid-19 and living under the same roof.
“SNP Ministers have failed to introduce effective infection prevention measures comprehensively across all care homes, which has left residents at greater risk.”
800 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported across Scotland in the last 24 hours. Of these, 164 are in Lothian.
Local MSP Neil Findlay said: “I am very concerned about the situation at Redmill care home in Whitburn (above) where there is an outbreak of Covid 19 – the company and Scottish Govt must be transparent about the situation and advise families and staff about the situation.
“Families are very appreciative of the efforts of staff at the home who are very worried about their wellbeing and that of all their residents.”
These Frequently Asked Questions bring together some of the questions parents and carers have asked since schools started back following the summer break:
If you have other questions please look at the NHS Inform website or ask your child’s school. The school will contact NHS Lothian Health Protection Team if they need help giving you an answer.
COVID-19 symptoms and testing
COVID-19 symptoms are:
A new, continuous cough and/or
A fever/ high temperature and/or
A change or loss in taste and/or smell (anosmia).
Note: A new, continuous cough means coughing for longer than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. If you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual.
If you or your child have developed one or more of these symptoms (however mild) stay at home for 10 days from the start of your symptoms and arrange a test. (More information about testing is at the end of these FAQs.) Do not go to your GP, pharmacy or hospital.
Everyone in your household should remain at home until you get the result of the test, then follow the advice you will be given with the result. (See more on NHS Inform.)
It is important that anyone with one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms gets tested, so that anyone who tests positive knows to stay at home and self-isolate. The rest of their household should also stay at home and self-isolate, even if they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms themselves.
1.What happens if a child develops symptoms of COVID-19 while in school?
All schools have information from NHS Lothian Health Protection Team, and plans in place for how to respond to any potential cases in school.
Children and young people should know to inform an adult in school if they develop any symptoms.
If your child develops COVID-19 symptoms while in school, they will be looked after safely and appropriately until they can be collected. As with any child who feels unwell at school, staff will do their best to comfort and reassure your child.
Other siblings in the school, or in other schools, should also return home as soon as possible and self-isolate with their household (see question 2, below). All members of the household should remain at home until the person with symptoms gets tested. They should then follow the advice given with the test result. (See more on NHS Inform.)
2.Does the household need to isolate if a child develops symptoms?
Yes. If your child develops one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms they should self-isolate and the rest of the household should self-isolate (stay at home) too. You should arrange a test for your child. You should all remain at home until you get the result of the test, then follow the advice you will be given with the result. (See more on NHS Inform.)
The rest of the household should not get tested unless they develop one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms.
3.What happens if someone in school tests positive?
Test and Protect is Scotland’s public health response to stopping the spread of coronavirus. When someone tests positive for COVID-19 they will get a phone call from Test and Protect. For children under the age of 16, the parent or carer will be contacted. Test and Protect give advice and take details of any recent close contacts. They will talk through what a close contact is. Those contacts will be called by Test and Protect and asked to self-isolate and stay at home for 14 days.
If someone at your child’s school tests positive, or there are multiple people with symptoms, the NHS Lothian Health Protection Team will carry out a risk assessment and will support the school to ensure necessary steps are taken and all close contacts are identified and contacted. They will only know what further steps need to be taken once the risk assessment has taken place. The circumstances and the next steps may be different in different schools.
Parents and carers will be informed that there is a positive case in school. Unless you are contacted and advised otherwise, your child should attend school as normal, provided they are well and have no symptoms of COVID-19.
4.What is close contact?
Somebody who has been near someone with coronavirus and could have been infected. Close contacts may have been near the infected person at some point in the 48 hours before their symptoms appeared, or at any time since their symptoms appeared. Being near someone means:
Face to face contact with the person within 1 metre for any length of time
Within 1 metre of them for one minute or longer without face to face contact
Within 1-2 metres of them for 15 minutes or more.
The closer the contact, the higher the risk.
If you have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, they will pass your details on to Test and Protect and you will be contacted. Test and Protect will not tell you who the person who tested positive is, unless the person has given NHS Scotland clear permission to share this information.
If you are identified as a close contact you will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days, whether or not you have symptoms. This is because symptoms can take that long to develop and you can pass the virus on even if you don’t have symptoms. If you develop one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms, you should request a test.
5.If your child is a close contact should others in the household isolate too?
No. If no one in the household has COVID-19 symptoms, only the person who has been told by Test and Protect that they are a close contact has to self-isolate. Close contacts need to self-isolate and stay at home for 14 days from their contact with the infected person. The rest of the household can go to work and school as usual.
6.Should you get tested if you have been in contact with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19?
No. You should only get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19, or if you have been advised to get a test by NHS Lothian Health Protection Team.
If you have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, Test and Protect will call you to give you advice.
7.Should parents/carers tell the school if children or young people have COVID-19 symptoms?
Yes, it is important to let the school know if children are not attending and why. It is important for schools to record any COVID-19 symptoms among pupils and staff, as this can give early warning of any possible clusters of COVID-19 cases. See page 1 for a reminder of the COVID-19 symptoms.
8.Will everyone be told if someone in the school or class has symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19?
Personal information is confidential and will not be shared. But those who need to take action – any close contacts – will be contacted promptly, and the wider school community will be given information as soon as possible (see below).
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by Test and Protect. They will be asked to pass on details of any close contacts. Test and Protect will phone their close contacts and advise them to self-isolate for 14 days. Test and Protect do not share the name of the person who has tested positive.
If there is a positive case at the school all families will be given the necessary information as soon as appropriate steps are agreed with the school, the local authority and public health. This will not include details of who has tested positive. Information will usually be in the form of a text message to parents/carers asking them to click through to a secure link on their school’s website, or an email providing information, depending on the method most commonly used in that school.
The message will usually explain that someone in that school has tested positive and that robust contact tracing by trained professionals is underway. If they are not contacted they should continue to send their child to school the next day providing they are well and have no COVID-19 symptoms.
If you know of any children or families who have symptoms, or test positive, we would encourage you not to share this information. Anyone can be affected by COVID-19 and there is no shame or stigma associated with catching it. It is for each individual to decide if information about their health is shared.
9.If someone has COVID-19 symptoms, should they stay off school for at least 10 days?
A test is the only way for someone who has one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms to know if they have COVID-19. Testing is important in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
If you, or your child, have one or more of these symptoms you should self-isolate and arrange a test:
A new, continuous cough and/or
A fever/ high temperature and/or
A change or loss in taste and/or smell (anosmia).
The whole household should self-isolate until the person with symptoms gets their test result.
If a child or young person tests negative they can return to school if they are well enough to do so (as per standard school illness policy), and if theyhave not had a fever for 48 hours.
If a child or young person tests positive they should self-isolate for 10 days from the day their symptoms started. They should only come out of isolation after 10 days if they feel better and if theyhave not had a fever for 48 hours. The rest of the household should self-isolate for 14 days from the start of the symptoms, even if they don’t have symptoms themselves. If they develop symptoms of COVID-19 they need to continue to stay at home and arrange to get tested.
If a child or young person is experiencing other types of symptoms e.g. a blocked/runny nose, headache, sore throat, etc., but does not have any of the COVID-19 symptoms, the standard school illness policy should be followed. What this means is:
Children who have mild symptoms, such as a blocked/runny nose or a mild sore throat, but not presenting with any of the COVID-19 symptoms, can still go to school if they are well enough to do so. However, they should of course stay at home if they are too ill to be at school.
Children who do not have one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms should not get tested.
If your child is unwell with other symptoms and is too ill to go to school, you should inform the school in the usual way, telling the school your child is absent and what their symptoms are.
10. If a parent/carer tests positive (or has COVID-19 symptoms) should their child stay off school for 14 days?
Yes. All household members must self-isolate for 14 days if anyone in their household develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19.
The person who has tested positive must self-isolate for at least 10 days, and can only come out of isolation once their symptoms have improved and if they have not had a fever for 48 hours.
11.If there is an outbreak in a class/school will everyone be tested? Will everyone be sent home?
If an outbreak is confirmed the local Health Protection Team will carry out a risk assessment and work with the school and local authority to plan next steps. This will include who should get tested and who does not need to get tested. It is unlikely that everyone will need to be tested. The test is most reliable if you have coronavirus symptoms. However the Health Protection Team will sometimes test wider groups of people when there is an outbreak. This is an extra public health measures to control the spread of the virus, and only when the risk assessment suggests this might be helpful.
The risk assessment will also decide if anyone else needs to be sent home. A school should not usually need to be closed. Any plans to send pupils home will be shared with parents/carers and children/young people as soon as possible. The school will be able to organise learning at home for any pupils who cannot attend school.
Schools will close only when a public health risk assessment deems this the only safe option.
12. If someone is told to isolate as a contact of a positive case, should they get tested?
No, unless you have symptoms of COVID-19, or unless you have been advised to get tested by the NHS Lothian Health Protection Team. This is because:
A test won’t confirm if a person has been exposed to the virus. A person who has been exposed to the virus may go on to develop symptoms. People who have had close contact with a positive case may have been exposed to the virus. As a precaution they should self-isolate for 14 days.
Anyone who has had contact with a positive case should monitor for any symptoms (particularly for the 14 days after contact with the positive case), and follow the advice from the Test and Protect team and NHS Inform.
13. Do children have to isolate or quarantine if they have recently travelled from a foreign country that has quarantine restrictions?
Yes. If your family and/or your child return from an area with quarantine restrictions keep them off school and stay at home for 14 days. A negative COVID test will not shorten quarantine as it doesn’t show if you or your child will develop the virus. Updated travel information is on gov.scot
If your family and/or your child have recently travelled to an area that is now in lockdown, visit NHS Inform for up to date information about quarantine advice.
14. Will a test show if someone has had COVID-19 in the past?
No. The test for COVID-19 is a nose and throat swab test. It will only show if there is virus present at the time of testing. It will not be able to tell if someone has had the infection in the past – that would require a blood test which is not currently available.
15.Will we be able to access testing if we have symptoms?
Everyone is working hard to ensure access to testing is available to those who need it. We can all help by only requesting a test when we have one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms:
A new, continuous cough and/or
A fever/ high temperature and/or
A change or loss in taste and/or smell (anosmia).
See more information about testing at the end of these FAQs and on NHS Inform.
Infection control in schools
16.Do children and young people in schools have to physically distance?
The scientific evidence suggests physical distancing between children is not essential in primary school.
Children in primary school do not have to stay 2 metres apart from each other in school.
Children in primary school should stay 2 metres apart from teachers and other adults not in their households (where possible).
All schools should try to keep children and young people in the same groups. Groups should be as small as is practical.
Smaller groups will help reduce the spread of infection if a child or young person tests positive for COVID-19.
The scientific evidence about physical distancing is less clear for secondary school pupils, so they should be encouraged to physically distance in school where possible.
Young people in secondary school should stay 2 metres apart from teachers and school staff/adults (where possible).
Young people of secondary school age should be encouraged to continue to physically distance when not in school, including at shops and on public transport. They should avoid large gatherings. House parties have been linked to outbreaks and are strongly discouraged. See Scottish Government guidance for more information.
17.If there is a positive case in a class or group, will everyone in the group be a close contact?
Not necessarily. Test and Protect and the Health Protection Team will help work out who is a close contact and needs to self-isolate and stay at home.
18.Do teachers and other school staff have to physically distance?
Yes. Teachers and other staff should stay 2 metres apart from each other and from children and young people. Where this is not possible they should wear a face covering, and this should be for as short a time as possible.
19.Will schools help children keep their hands clean?
Schools will make sure hand washing facilities are in place. Schools will support children, young people and staff to keep their hands clean throughout the school day.
Outdoor hand basins or hand sanitisers (gel) will be available at entrances/exits. Help will be given to children who need it.
Hand washing is advised (instead of hand gel) for children with sensitive skin or allergies.
20.Will face coverings be used in schools?
Face coverings are made from cloth or other textiles that cover the mouth and nose, through which you can comfortably breathe. Face coverings are not the same as medical-grade face masks. If you are infected, a face covering may help to limit the spread of infection to people around you.
Face coverings are not required for children in primary schools.
Face coverings are not required for young people in secondary school when they are in class. However secondary school pupils will be asked to wear a face covering in corridors and other communal areas.
Schools may advise pupils and staff to wear face coverings in other situations, e.g. if there is an outbreak in school.
Staff in schools should use face coverings if they cannot physically distance from pupils or other adults.
21.Will school staff be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) e.g. a surgical mask, gloves and apron?
For most staff in schools, PPE (which may include a fluid resistant surgical mask, gloves, apron, eye protection) is not normally needed.
Schools have PPE supplies and training on how and when to use it. Examples of when it might be used are when caring for someone with suspected COVID-19 (e.g. if someone at school develops symptoms), or for providing personal care to a child or young person.
22.Will there be additional cleaning in schools?
Yes, all schools have an enhanced cleaning programme. Guidance from Health Protection Scotland tells schools what they should do to keep areas safe and clean.
Where children, young people or staff have to move to different desks there will be cleaning materials to wipe down desks and chairs before and after use.
Additional cleaning precautions are taken when a child or staff member has developed symptoms whilst in school.
23.What about more vulnerable groups?
Some groups may be more at risk of serious illness as a result of COVID-19. Guidance for people with underlying health conditions has been prepared and will continue to be updated. NHS Inform also has additional information that can support anyone in these groups who have further questions. Talk to your school if you need any more help or have any further questions or concerns.
The support required for children and young people with additional support needs will vary and should be considered in individual plans. Talk to your school if you have any questions or concerns.
There is some evidence that children, young people and adults from a Minority Ethnic background who are infected with COVID-19 may be more at risk of serious illness as a result of COVID-19. Talk to your school if you have any questions or concerns.
24.Drop off and pick up: can parents/carers enter schools and/or playgrounds?
Some parents and carers need to drop off and pick up children and young people. If so, they should take extra care to socially distance and reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.
When dropping off or picking up children:
Please stay 2 metres away from other families/households. Close contact and large groups can increase the spread of coronavirus and could lead to an outbreak in school.
To help stop crowding at the school gates, only one adult per family/household should be dropping off or picking up children.
If your child can walk safely to and from school without an adult, or be dropped off and met at a safe distance from school, please let them. This will make physical distancing easier for those who have to accompany their child.
Parents and carers should not enter school buildings unless required. Please discuss with your school first.
Special arrangements may need to be made for drop-offs and pick-ups of children and young people with additional support needs and those using school transport, including taxis.
25.How can you protect yourself from catching COVID-19?
There are things you can do to reduce the risk of you and your children getting ill with COVID-19. Children and young people may need reminded of how they can keep themselves safe.
You should all:
regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, particularly before and after eating
use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
avoid direct contact with people that are ill wherever possible
cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or elbow (not hands) if coughing or sneezing. Put used tissues straight in the bin and wash your hands
avoid touching your face.
Adults should also:
maintain physical distancing, and wear a face covering if you cannot stay at least 2 metres away from anyone who is not in your household.
Older young people (secondary school age) should also:
physically distance from young people and adults where possible in school, AND physically distance when out of school
wear a face covering in school when in corridors or other communal areas
wear a face covering and maintain social distancing in shops and other public places
avoid house parties and other large gatherings
avoid sharing food and drink, and other products like cigarettes
consider how kissing and sexual activity might put themselves and any partners at risk.
Further questions?
Please get in touch with your school in the first instance. Or visit NHS Inform for health advice.
The Health and Sport Committee will hear from NHS Lothian on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic today.
This will include discussion of the health board’s 2020-21 budget, such as whether costs associated with the pandemic have been offset by savings in other departments.
The Committee will also explore the long-term effects of Covid-19 on health boards, including the funding of Integrated Joint Boards (IJBs). The Committee will also seek to find out what planning has been carried out in anticipation of a potential second wave of the virus.
Appearing before the Committee for this evidence session will be:
The NHS Lothian session follows the appearance of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf MSP, will also give evidence on the latest travel regulations relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the first item on the Committee’s agenda, which starts at 9.45am.
A mistake in a spreadsheet calculation set in motion a series of events that led to the delayed opening of the new £150m Sick Kids hospital, a new report has revealed.
The go-ahead for a new hospital at Little France, a replacement for the ageing Sick Childrens Hospital in Sciennes, was first agreed by NHS Lothian in 2005 but the project has seen a catalogue of delays and spiralling costs.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, said: ““It is absolutely staggering that this mistake has had such huge repercussions and was not picked up until after the new hospital had been built.
“This review is highlighting how ill equipped health boards are for undertaking projects the magnitude of a new hospital.
“SNP Ministers are ultimately responsible for what has been described as a ‘collective failure’ in the specifications of ventilators at the hospital.
“This fiasco has cost the tax payer enormous amounts of money, money which should have gone towards properly resourcing hospitals and improving treatment times.”
Round the clock paediatric inpatient services in St John’s Hospital will resume this Autumn, NHS Lothian announced yesterday.
The service will be reinstated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from October, to enhance the care already provided to children in West Lothian.
The details were agreed by NHS Lothian board members at their meeting yesterday (Wednesday August 12).
It means that inpatient paediatrics will be extended from functioning four nights a week, to seven days and nights by October 19.
Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, said the children’s ward was now in a position to fully re-open after a number of new staff were recruited to the team.
Dr Gillies said: “We are really pleased that we are able to fully reinstate children’s inpatient services 24/7 in St John’s Hospital. It is testament to the teams who have pulled together to make this happen.
“We have always said that we could only restore the full service when it was safe and sustainable to do so and that has been our priority throughout.
“Parents and children will not have to do anything differently and many may not even notice a difference. However it does mean that patients who require to remain in hospital over a weekend will be able to do so at St John’s, instead of routinely being transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.”
Two permanent Consultants and one locum have been recruited to the team at St John’s, following successful rounds of recruitment in June. A small number of ward nurse vacancies are in the process of being filled, meaning that staffing in the unit will be further strengthened.
The availability of Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioners has also increased, giving added resilience to the staffing rota.
The Paediatric Programme Board (PPB), which was established to help develop and implement a strategy to deliver safe and sustainable services, was told at its most recent meeting that the unit had sufficient cover to provide a safe and sustainable rota for out of hours and weekend shifts.
It was also agreed that the programme board will now be dissolved because it has fulfilled its remit.
It comes just weeks after the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health published its most recent review into the service and praised NHS Lothian for its “considerable and impressive efforts” to restore the 24/7 service.
NHS Lothian invited the RCPCH to return and undertake a second follow up review of progress since their original Review and Report in 2016. The visit took place in February 2020 and the College’s Report was received at the end of May 2020.
Parents and families are not required to do anything differently as a result of the change and will still access care in the normal way, through NHS 24, their GP or the Emergency Department.
If children are very sick or require specialist intervention, they will continue to be admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, in line with the normal protocols.
The role NHS Scotland Test and Protect plays in containing future coronavirus outbreaks has been highlighted, as new research suggests people know their actions count.
With the vast majority (89 per cent) of people believing it necessary to follow the Scottish Government’s guidelines if the country is to get out of lockdown, NHS Lothian has reminded people of three things they need to do to help suppress the virus as restrictions ease:
1: Self-isolate and book a test immediately if you have coronavirus symptoms: a new, persistent cough, high temperature or loss or change in taste or smell.
2: If the test result is positive, you’ll be contacted by a member of the NHS team and asked to provide them with the names of people you’ve been in close contact with as they may be at risk.
3: If you’re contacted by NHS Scotland to say you’ve been in close contact with someone that has the virus, isolate for 14 days. Following this advice is crucial as it can take 14 days for symptoms to develop, and the virus can be passed on during this time.
The research, released as the nation moves through phase 3 of the route map, shows that the majority of people in Scotland (92 per cent) see the role individuals have in suppressing coronavirus as important.
However, with one in ten (12 per cent) saying they are less likely to follow guidelines if others aren’t following them, NHS Lothian yesterday encouraged people to stick with it over the coming weeks and months to protect themselves, their loved ones and keep their community safe.
Professor Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health, NHS Lothian said: “Test and Protect is key to breaking the chains of coronavirus transmission, protecting the progress we’ve made and helping to save lives.
“If you have symptoms, please self-isolate, get tested and share details of those you’ve come into close contact with. If you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive and are asked to self-isolate by the NHS, it’s essential you follow that advice. Support to self-isolate is there if you need it.
“For this to work, we need everyone’s help. If you have symptoms, we’re asking you to self-isolate, get tested and share details of those you’ve come into close contact with. If you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive and are asked to self-isolate by the NHS, it’s important to follow that advice.
“These three steps, along with following the FACTS guidelines, shows people you care about others, sets a good example, will help keep the virus under control and will allow us to continue to emerge from lockdown.”
People can book a test at nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or call 0800 028 2816 if they can’t get online.
The website provides information on additional support available. If you need to self-isolate and can’t get the help you need from family, friends or online, you can call the National Assistance Helpline on 0800 111 4000. Local help is there for you behind that national number.
To reduce the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus, or being asked to isolate, remember FACTS – Face coverings, Avoid crowded places, Clean hands and surfaces regularly, Two-metre physical distancing and Self-isolate and book a test immediately if you have coronavirus symptoms.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, patients across Lothian and the south-east of Scotland have continued to receive cancer treatment through a range of clinical trials.
Recently, with pandemic restrictions easing, more patients have resumed participation in cancer trials. And today (29 July) teams in the South East Scottish Cancer Research Network (SESCRN) are pleased to announce that any remaining trials that have been on hold in the region are all now able to reopen and would like to reassure patients that all trial options will be available to them.
The SESCRN teams – based in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre at the Western General Hospital – are also recruiting patients to take part in a series of new clinical trials.
Stefan Symeonides, a Consultant Oncologist and Clinical Lead for SESCRN, said: “COVID-19 presented us with significant challenges – and still does – but our teams have worked hard to minimise disruption caused by the pandemic.
“We’ve had to adapt how trials are delivered to patients, implementing a range of infection prevention and control measures required as a result of COVID-19, including social distancing. This enabled all patients already started on clinical trials for cancer treatment to remain on those trials.”
However, COVID-19 has restricted access to clinical trials for other patients who would have started treatment during the peak of the COVID-19 challenges.
“We share the concern and frustration experienced by these patients, which is why we are pleased that the recent easing of pandemic restrictions has allowed us to open trials back up again and widen patient access to other trials,” said Stefan Symeonides. “We are now able to reopen all remaining studies and we are excited to have started recruiting patients to new clinical trials.”
Dot Boyle, Network Manager with SESCRN, said: “Colleagues across the Network have made monumental efforts to continue clinical trials.
“For example, we were able to keep some trials running, where there were no safety concerns for patients and, since June, a range of other trials have resumed. We are currently engaged in over 100 clinical trials, half of which are open, with the other half now due to open imminently.
“In addition, every day, our teams work in collaboration with a range of partners to help facilitate more and more new trials, the first of which have opened, covering a range of different areas, including cancer of the bladder, breast and kidney.”
Professor Charlie Gourley, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, Western General Hospital, said: “Clinical trials offer cancer patients new opportunities, either in addition to standard treatments, or after standard therapies have failed.
“They provide patients with hope and are a vital part of our armoury. The South East Scotland Cancer Research Network is rapidly reinstating these studies in order to offer our patients the best possible treatment options.”
NHS Lothian staff working across a number of Children’s Outpatient services at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children have been busy packing, ahead of the move of the first children’s clinical services to the new facilities at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.
This move is being delivered in a phased approach, and already a number of administration teams have migrated and settled into their new environment.
Alongside the provision of outpatient face to face appointments, NHS Lothian will continue to make use of video call technology ‘Near Me’ for a number of appointments, offering greater flexibility as well as reducing the need for families to travel to attend in person.
The move plan, which was agreed with the full involvement of clinical teams, is not only helping to free up space at the existing Royal Hospital for Sick Children site, but is enabling NHS Lothian to continue to deliver paediatric clinics in a way which fully adheres to and supports social distancing.
Susan Goldsmith, Finance Director and Executive Lead for the project, said: “It is exciting to see the first of our Children’s services move to their new home at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. We have reached a significant milestone in this project’s journey, which is important to acknowledge and celebrate.
“While delays to the opening of the new facility have been well publicised, I hope that as each service moves and appointments commence; patients, visitors and staff will be able to see just how impressive the facilities really are.
“Reaching this stage in the project has required a tremendous amount of work from the contractors on site, as well as our own project and clinical teams and for that I would like to say a huge thank you.”
While the first outpatient services settle into their new home, work on the final stages of the remedial and enhancement work in other areas of the building continues. Once this has been completed, and following final commissioning, the second phase in the move of NHS Lothian’s Children’s services will take place.
At this point, those services still situated at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children site will also move to the new building.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “It is terrific that staff are finally able to move across to the new facilities at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, based at little France.
“This move has been a long time coming and I wish all NHS Lothian staff the best at their new home.”
FAQs
How do I know where my child’s appointment will be?
Your appointment letter will tell you where your child’s appointment is being held. If it is to be held at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, you will also receive a phone call to make sure you know where you are going.
Is there parking available?
Parking is available on site. Parking stewards will direct you to the most appropriate car park. A small number of spaces are also bookable in advance, but these are reserved for patients with the greatest need, based on clinical priority.
My child has an appointment at the RHCYP, how do I find out the latest travel information?
With COVID ongoing, is it safe to bring my child to hospital?
Yes. We have separate areas for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and for those who have not. There are also a range of enhanced infection control measures in place, such as staggered appointment times to limit the number of people in any one area of the building, physical distancing within waiting areas and enhanced cleaning in consulting rooms between each patient.
My child has an appointment in August, does this automatically mean it will be in the new building?
No. Although most outpatient services are moving over the coming weeks, some will remain at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children site at Sciennes, until the new building is ready to be opened to all services, including inpatients. This is because some services need access to other clinical support, which will not be moving until the whole building is open. Departments that will not be moving at this stage include, but are not limited to: Pain, Respiratory (asthma, allergy, CF), Cardiology, Haematology Oncology, Plastics and Plastics dressings clinic. Does the move mean that the reported problems in the building have been fixed?
Our project team, as well as the contractors on site, are continuing to work on the final stages of the remedial and enhancement work. Once this has been completed, and following final commissioning, the second phase of the move will take place.
Why has everything not moved across to the new building?
Remedial and enhancement work is still taking place at the new building, which means that some services cannot move at this time.
If my child has an emergency, where do I go?
Children’s Emergency Services remain at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Sciennes. If you need to access this service, you should continue to do so at the old site. There are no Emergency Services at the new building within the Little France site at this time.
It has been reported that the RHCYP building will be opening in Autumn 2020, are things on track for then?
Our project team, as well as the contractors on site, are continuing to work on the final stages of required remedial and enhancement work. As part of this, we are due to imminently receive the final works programme. Once this has been received and discussed with the services involved, an opening date for the full building will be announced, alongside more detailed plans for the migration of the remaining Children’s services.
