Weekend emergency surgery cut at Perth Royal Infirmary
Weekend emergency surgery has been axed at Perth Royal Infirmary, The Courier can reveal.
- By Alan Richardson
- Published in the Courier : 13.07.10
- Published online : 13.07.10 @ 06.40am
Staff have been told that no operations will take place at PRI between 6pm on Fridays and 8am on Mondays.
NHS Tayside said the move would ensure a safe level of cover for local people as the hospital experienced weekend staffing difficulties.
However, those who have fought to keep PRI functioning for emergency admissions fear a predicted "death by a thousand cuts" is continuing.
One worker who spoke to The Courier said, "Staff have been told this is happening but it has not been made public and I don't know when or how they plan to make it public.
"Anyone with a serious complaint will have to go to Dundee and it seems to be another money-saving exercise.
"It's a big concern for people with an emergency, which is stressful enough at the best of times.
"For example, we're speaking about someone with acute appendicitis who will face another 20 to 30 minutes to get to Dundee.
"And someone with a badly broken arm won't be able to get it sorted without a trip to Dundee.
"That leaves them in an unfamiliar place and dealing with all the hassle for friends and relatives having to get down the road to Ninewells as well.
"It's just one thing after another and there are real fears this will rebound on patient care."
He added, "Weekend admissions of children went a while ago and that was seen as the start of weekend cover being eroded and they are just picking at one thing after another and doing it by stealth.
"When the whole issue of services at PRI began this is the kind of thing we feared but were told not to worry about."
Difficulties
NHS Tayside associate medical director for the surgical directorate Dr John Colvin said, "The surgical team at Perth Royal Infirmary are currently experiencing difficulties providing emergency cover at the weekends.
"Therefore, to make sure that the Perthshire population continue to have access to a safe level of surgical services at all times, the team decided in April to move emergency surgical admissions to Ninewells over the weekend.
"This only affects a very small number of patients. On average we have five admissions per week over that period and, of these admissions, between one and two require a surgical procedure.
"We can also assure the Perthshire population that consultant surgical cover of patients in Perth Royal Infirmary continues to be provided at all times."
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