Changes to children’s health services 29/8/11
NHS Western Isles is to recruit a consultant paediatrician as it changes the way children’s health services are run.
Instead of being wholly based with the hospital the new paediatrician will also work in the community and within a wider clinical network.
The consultant paediatrician would also be supported in the delivery of unscheduled care by the Children’s on Call Doctors team, and supported externally by collaegues from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
NHS Western Isles Medical Director Dr James Ward said: “Our key aim is to provide a safe, equitable and sustainable service for children and young people within both acute and community settings.
“Children and families should be able to access a service that is as close to home as possible, clinically safe, of high quality, effective and efficient. We can best achieve this by redesigning services to enable the consultant to work both within and outside the acute facility.”
Dr Ward pointed out that an essential component of ensuring support to the consultant will be to position them within a wider clinical network for peer support.
Work will now be undertaken to develop the wider child health team in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to further enhance the local service with specialist mainland support arrangements.