By Marjory Inglis, health reporter

THE BATTLE to retain neurosurgery services in Dundee appeared to be won yesterday with an announcement by Public Health Minister Shona Robison.

Speaking in Aberdeen, she said neurosurgery services would be retained at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and also at the three other hospital units in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The question, however, is to what extent will services be retained and what will be provided locally in the longer term?

Ms Robison said a “neurosurgical presence” would be retained in each of the four units and heralded the start of “a period of stability.”

The Scottish Government is backing “greater co-operation” between the four sites and there are plans to move away from local management of services towards a national service.

Details of how the services will be shaped have still to be decided.

One specialist was guarded, saying colleagues would want an opportunity to scrutinise a full report that was submitted to the Scottish Government and published along with the announcement.

Neurosurgery services in Scotland have been subjected to repeated reviews over the last decade with fears the axe would fall. Most recently supporters of the service in Aberdeen lobbied for retention and gathered support through an online petition after fearing the service there was under threat.

Eight years ago, supporters of the Dundee service delivered a petition to politicians with more than 26,000 signatures calling for retention of neurosurgery services at Ninewells Hospital. At that time the fear was the service would be split up or closed.

The Scottish Government’s official response to the report of the neuroscience implementation group published yesterday endorsed their recommendation that a national service should be set up for neurosurgery in Scotland, with services provided at Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as they are at present.

The present arrangements for paediatric neurosurgery will continue and will be managed as part of the national service.

A statement said that under the national service, clinicians will be required to work more closely together across sites to ensure that everyone in Scotland, no matter where they live, benefits from the same standard of neurological care.

Visiting the neurology unit in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Ms Robison said, “I appreciate that there has been a great deal of uncertainty around neurosurgical services for a number of years, and I hope that my announcement today allays the concerns of staff, patients and families and marks the start of a period of stability.

“There was no evidence in the report to support the case for moving to a single site for neurosurgical services, a scenario which I know many were concerned about.

“The innovative model proposed by the group which I am endorsing today will see all four units continue to provide services locally, while promoting a uniformity of care that does not exist at present.

“By maintaining a neurosurgical presence in each of the units, we are directly addressing fears which have been expressed about the management of neurosurgical emergencies, particularly in the north east.

“It is now up to the staff at each of the four sites in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow, to work together to make sure the new model delivers maximum benefits to service users and their families.

“Given that we are not proposing any major change in service provision, and given that I want to bring an end to this period of uncertainty, I have decided that the Scottish Government will not be consulting on these proposals.

“Stakeholders have been consulted at every stage of the group’s work and will continue to be involved during the next six months in working up the arrangements for the new service.”