Question reference: S6W-00259
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 26 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Scotland plans to introduce a less invasive endoscopic procedure and post-operative helmet to treat craniosynostosis, and whether a more time-sensitive referral process to Great Ormond Street Hospital will be implemented if the procedure is not available through the NHS in Scotland.
Answer
Paediatric craniofacial surgery in Scotland is delivered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as a national specialist service commissioned by the National Services Division. Within the Board there is an ambition to develop endoscope assisted surgery as part of a wider practice to correct children with skull deformity due to a craniosynostosis. Physicians from the Board had intended to visit a centre in North America to share best practice but the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in this being postponed.
At present the only nationally designated craniofacial service in the UK that is known to offer endoscope assisted surgery is Great Ormond Street Hospital. Whether a patient should be referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital is dependent on individual clinical circumstances. The perioperative follow-up for patients after this procedure is more complicated as reassessment and repeat helmet fittings are required.