The decision by ministers to retain brain surgery units in all four of Scotland's main cities received a widespread welcome yesterday.
The latest retreat from the previous administration's move to increase centralisation of NHS specialist services, revealed in The Herald yesterday, came after an expert report concluded that there was "no clear evidence" to support a merger of the units in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.
Announcing the decision during a visit to the neurology unit of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Health Minister Shona Robison said: "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 to make sure the new model delivers maximum benefits to service users and their families."
The report was by the Neuroscience Implementation Group, a panel of experts brought in by Labour's former Health Minister, Andy Kerr.
Fears of brain surgery being concentrated at a single centre in Glasgow or Edinburgh led to campaigners in Aberdeen raising a 20,000-name petition, while the trade union Unite argued that being able to airlift accident survivors from North Sea installations to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary had saved time and lives.
SNP MSP for Aberdeen North, Brian Adam, said: "This decision is a victory for all those local campaigners who took their case to parliament and made sure that the needs of the north-east were heard loud and clear."
Shirley-Anne Somerville, SNP MSP for Lothian, said: "This is great news for the Sick Kids Hospital and a real tribute to all those who have campaigned to keep neurological services in Edinburgh."
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and Aberdeen South MSP Nicol Stephen said: "I urge the SNP to learn from this victory for local campaigning and abandon their plans to axe children's cancer services in Aberdeen."
Sturgeon under fire for funding allocations THE opposition has attacked Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon for a decision that could eventually take £35.6m out of the budget for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and re-allocate much of it to Lothian.
Tory spokeswoman Mary Scanlon was scathing about the impact on rural services, saying the shift away from Highland, Western Isles and Borders "lacks understanding, sensitivity, compassion or equity for health care in remote and rural areas". She said that on top of tough efficiency targets, NHS Highland faces "an impossible settlement".
Ms Sturgeon said no health board would face a cut as a result of the new allocation.
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