Doctors say funding dispute holding up new surgery centre

Picture: John Devlin Health Secretary Shona Robison denied claims that a funding dispute is causing the hold up

The doctors, most of them consultants from health boards around Scotland, have written to Ms Robison to ask her “to resolve a funding dispute” that is said to be blocking the establishment of a Scottish National Centre for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Surgery.

People with severe Parkinson’s and dystonia symptoms from the east of Scotland have to travel to England for the treatment.

NHS Scotland made a National DBS Centre the “top priority” for specialist service provision last October but it has yet to be established.

The doctors said the long journeys required from treatment are “particularly daunting for this group of patients with complex healthcare needs” and raised concerns about long-term after care.

Ms Robison told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “It’s not a dispute. Chief Executives, I think, are probably cautious about establishing new national services because it essentially means top-slicing the budgets of health boards in order to fund that.

“The boards, essentially, are already paying for patients. Boards in the west of Scotland are already paying Glasgow for the service. Boards in the north and east of Scotland are paying for patients to go down south.”

She said they have yet to agree what the level of funding for the national service will be.

“It will be resolved and it will be up and running with the next few months,” she said.

She added: “Everyone in Scotland who needs this treatment will get it.

“Half of the people currently are treated in Glasgow and, of course, a number of patients from the north and east of Scotland are currently treated in England, funded by the local health board.

“We recognise that that is certainly not ideal and that is why, of course, the National Specialist Services Committee has approved a proposal to establish a national service in Scotland, and we are working with boards in order to get that sustainable service up and running as soon as possible.”

She continued: “I certainly will be writing to them before parliament dissolves, setting out the detail of how it’s going to be taken forward from now.

“It will happen. I am going to set out a timetable. Certainly it will take a few months to get the capacity in Glasgow in order to ensure they have that sustainable service.”

Katherine Crawford, Scotland Director of Parkinson’s UK, said: “Parkinson’s UK shares in the clinicians’ disappointment and frustration.

“People who are considered for DBS are very unwell. They typically have very poor quality of life, and have exhausted other treatment options. They are being failed dreadfully by the miserable lack of progress being made towards ending this postcode lottery.”

Guy Parckar, Chief Executive of the Dystonia Society said: “An urgent resolution is desperately needed.”