Up to 600 Scottish patients will be entitled to private hip and knee surgery under a new £5m orthop...
Up to 600 Scottish patients will be entitled to private hip and knee surgery under a new £5m orthopaedic initiative, announced by health minister Malcolm Chisholm.
The Scottish Executive said its wish to make greater use of the private sector would enable 590 NHS Scotland patients to be treated in private hospitals.
The move follows a similar and successful £4m initiative last year which saw patients across Scotland receive private orthopaedic treatment in a bid to tackle lengthy waiting times.
'We are building on the success of the £4m initiative which made substantial inroads into helping those patients with the longest waits.
'This new funding will allow us to maintain progress in reducing the amount of time patients are waiting for much needed hip and knee surgery,' said Chisholm.
Funding will be released on the condition that it goes towards helping those patients who are waiting over six months for treatment. The boards and trusts are to contract with their local private hospitals during the forth-coming year so operations can be carried out, the Executive said.
A total of £5.08m has been distributed to the trusts and boards of which Greater Glasgow received £1,190,000.
NHS Highland has chosen to use its £100,000 allocation to increase surgery within its own hospitals.
