Mothers of children born with a cleft lip or cleft palate have expressed concern that they may be forced to travel across the country for specialist treatment.
Cleft lip and/or cleft palate occurs in about one in every 650 live births in Scotland, with problems early in pregnancy meaning that the sides of the child’s lip or the roof of their mouth do not fuse together as they should.
The Cleft Lip and Palate Surgical Service is currently operated as one surgical service delivered on two surgical sites: the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.
However, a leaked document obtained by The Courier has raised fears services will be switched to Glasgow, leaving parents on the east coast facing lengthy trips to care for their children.
The paper suggests there have been “significant challenges” in sustaining a single surgical service across two sites and concludes that it is unlikely the status quo can continue.
With centralisation of the service in Glasgow a distinct possibility, Kirkcaldy mum Allison Wardlaw, whose son Nathan, four, was born with a cleft palate, believes people on the east coast will be disadvantaged.
Mrs Wardlaw, 34, a member of the Edinburgh Cleft Lip and Palate Association branch, said the document is a “complete contradiction” to assurances previously been given.
“This paper goes on to say that the current single service provided over two sites is not working, it does not tell us what is not working,” she said.
“The logistics of childcare and travel for regular appointments and multidisciplinary meetings will be nigh on impossible for me as a working parent to negotiate.”
Although the report suggests that the NHS will consider three options, Mrs Wardlaw contends the paper is heavily slanted towards Glasgow describing any consultation as a “paper exercise”.
“We need local services for our children with as little disruption to their everyday life for both them and their families,” she continued.
“Glasgow is not practical for schooling, siblings, family, and it assumes we all drive.
“Money and budgets don’t matter to cleft families, it’s our cleft children whose needs come first.”
A spokesman for NHS National Services Scotland said no decision has yet been taken, with the paper outlining future options for consideration and seeking comments from families.
“It is essential to have a service that can be properly staffed and resourced to provide a high-quality, sustainable service for the long-term for NHS Scotland,” the spokesman added.
“Specialist services like this, with a few complex operations a year, often benefit from concentrating surgical skills in one place.
“If the appraisal does recommend that surgery is delivered from one place, there will be with further engagement with stakeholders before a final decision is made.
“If that change was made, regular out-patient appointments, assessments and other aspects of ongoing cleft care will still be provided locally.”