Pathways and protocols group remit
There is continuing commitment to the development of managed clinical networks as a way of organising the delivery of services to specific patient groups. 'Delivering for health' made a number of explicit recommendations on the future of neurosurgery services for Scotland, one of which was that the service 'should be integrated across specialist, secondary and primary care using the managed clinical network model, and will be provided as locally as possible, with explicit standards of care across the integrated care pathway'.
This was informed by the Action Team's report which stated that adult and paediatric neurosurgery should be regarded as a single service for Scotland, delivered on a number of sites and through managed clinical networks. This approach would involve developing a model of working which involves clinicians and patients in service design, and promote interdisciplinary working at all levels and with other agencies, such as voluntary organisations.
A key part of developing equitable and consistent pathways and protocols is learning from areas of good practice and developing ways of applying this practice on a national level.
It is important to ensure than any model of service will have at its core clear, effective and sustainable pathways for all patients requiring neurosurgery, to ensure they receive appropriate and timely care which is delivered close to home wherever possible while providing clear and practical systems for onward referral for specialist surgery where appropriate. Equally, patients should have equitable access to whatever rehabilitation facilities they require post-surgery, which again should be delivered as close to home as possible.
This group has been formed to identify issues and design appropriate pathways and agreed protocols to ensure geographically and clinically equitable access and consistent quality of care for patients. It should also identify related elements of the service that form part of the pathways and work to agree appropriate protocols for these areas and how they relate to each other
Initial pathways for development were identified as:
- surgery for degenerative lumbar spinal conditions
- trauma
- lower volume specialised procedure (such as pituitary tumour)
About patient pathways - more information
Progress reports