£2.6m funding to deliver thousands more operations in the Highlands

The Scottish Government has announced £2.6 million in funding to deliver thousands of extra procedures in the Highlands.

The investment will be used to provide additional orthopaedic and ophthalmic operations at National Treatment Centre Highland in Inverness.

The Scottish Government said the money will support the recruitment of nurses, anaesthetists and healthcare support workers.

Officials expect the fund to allow the Highland centre to carry out around 8,418 procedures in the coming year – a 67% increase on the 5,054 commissioned by the Scottish Government last year.

The government added that the increase in capacity will deliver procedures for patients in NHS Highland, NHS Grampian, NHS Tayside, and NHS Shetland.

The cash comes from the wider £200 million fund announced in this year’s Budget to tackle waiting times, delayed discharge and improve hospital flow.

Visiting the facility on Thursday, health secretary Neil Gray said: “In the two years since its opening, National Treatment Centre Highland has provided life-changing treatment to thousands of people living in the north of Scotland.

“This new funding of £2.6 million will help the state-of-the-art facility to deliver thousands of additional procedures every year – including operations for cataracts and joint replacements.

“We know in the past too many people have waited too long for treatment, and the First Minister and I have set out a plan to change that.

“We will deliver more than 150,000 extra appointments nationally and procedures in the coming year to ensure people receive the care they need as quickly as possible – targeting the longest waiting patients and optimising the use of our National Treatment Centres to substantially increase capacity.”