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Review of cleft lip surgery
28/09/2007
Following a review of the highly-specialised Cleft Lip and Palate service, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon today said that the priority will continue to be the best interests of patients.
Ms Sturgeon announced that a decision has been taken to carry out major surgical procedures in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Outreach day case support will continue in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow and Dundee. This delivers all aspects of assessment, treatment and follow-up in five sites across Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said:
"Patients support what we are announcing today. We believe this is the right way to achieve the best possible outcomes for babies born with cleft lip and palate in Scotland.
"We are committed to delivering treatment and follow-up as close to home as possible for patients and for travel to be kept to a minimum.
"Aberdeen is able to provide much of the essential treatment patients need, but for certain highly-specialised surgical operations, it is in the patient's best interests to go to Edinburgh and Glasgow."
Consultant Plastic Surgeon Arthur Morris, who led the review and was the first lead clinician of CleftSis - the National Managed Clinical Network, said:
"I strongly welcome the Cabinet Secretary's decision, which is in the best interests of patients and their families. The whole principle of setting up the Network was to ensure patients come first, and the entire service is based around the patient."
Gareth Davies, of the family support group Cleft Lip and Palate Association, also welcomed the announcement and said:
"I believe it is the right way forward and will be in the best interests of babies born with cleft lip and palate in Scotland. A recent survey showed a very high level of patient satisfaction with cleft care, with no evidence that families are unwilling to travel to access high quality care."
Cleft lip and palate is a relatively uncommon condition. There are only around 90 new births with this complication in Scotland every year. 2. Successful management of children born with cleft lip or palate or both requires multidisciplinary and highly-specialised treatment from birth until the late teens or early 20s.
The surgical cleft lip and palate service in Scotland will be delivered at the Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. Around 140 primary surigcal procedures are carried out per year. 4. The surgical service is linked to CleftSis, a national clinical network, which coordinates all other aspects of assessment, treatment and follow-up of the cleft lip and palate service in Scotland. All of these aspects are funded by NHS Boards.