Call for council action over Aberdeen trauma centre

A senior Aberdeen councillor is calling on the authority to step into the row over whether there should be a major trauma centre built in the city.

It comes after the Scottish government announced the decision to have four such centres was under review.

Independent Marie Boulton, deputy leader of the Labour-led administration, is to lodge a motion.

It calls for a letter to urge the Scottish government to secure a trauma centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The motion is to be lodged at the next meeting of the full council on 11 May.

Clinical concerns

SNP group leader Stephen Flynn said no-one disagreed there should be a major trauma centre in the city, and pointed out that Health Secretary Shona Robison had insisted no decisions had been made.

The Lib Dems said they were actively campaigning to ensure the Scottish government kept a promise to establish a trauma centre in Aberdeen and would support the motion.

The Conservatives said the centres originally approved for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen should all progress as planned, and that failure to do so would put patient care in the north east of Scotland at risk.

Jenny Laing, the council leader, also backed the motion, saying if Labour won the Scottish election it would guarantee the major trauma centre in Aberdeen.

Clinicians' concerns about the future of a trauma centre in Aberdeen were raised at a meeting of NHS Grampian's board last week.