 | The urological community in the West of Scotland serves a wide and varied geographical area and a population of over 2.5 million people. This is a time of exciting development within West of Scotland Urology. Following the Acute Services Review, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde has invested heavily in the building of 2 new Ambulatory Care Hospitals (ACH), providing rapid access to diagnostic and day care urology in state-of- the-art facilities. Additionally, forthcoming centralisation of inpatient care on to two sites (previously four) will focus and enhance core and specialist services in the city. Throughout the region, further continuing and exciting developments continue with the scope of specialist treatments such as minimally-invasive surgery being extended to several centres. The district hospitals are also continuing to expand and develop consultant numbers to meet the needs of their respective communities. |
NHS Ayrshire & Arran
The Urology Department provides service for a population of 375,000 and has a new purpose-built assessment unit which opened in 2002. Most of the diagnostic work is performed in this unit which also houses the specialist nursing services.
The Continence Care Unit delivers a comprehensive assessment service as well as delivering conservative treatment and urodynamics. The Uro-Oncology service delivers specialist, nurse-led, histology clinics as well as follow up clinics, counselling and a joint Urology Oncology clinic. There are nurse-led ED clinics and intravesical chemotherapy and BCG clinics.
The consultants have sub-specialty interests in stone disease (including flexible ureterorenoscopy, laser stone treatment and a visiting ESWL service), pelvic oncology, renal oncology and female urology as well as a heavy general urological workload. Review clinics are undertaken in Irvine, Cumnock, Girvan and Arran.
Click here to see recent publications from the Ayr unit.
NHS Dumfries & Galloway
This is the main hospital serving both the town of Dumfries and the entire catchment area of South West Scotland with a population of at least 147,000.
The urology staff consists of two Consultants, one Nurse Consultant, one part-time Specialist Nurse and four secretaries. Clinics are held in Dumfries, Stranraer and at seven other locations throughout the area.
Specialist andrology & sexual medicine clinics are available whilst oncology and stone services are provided from Edinburgh. Each week, there are 5 general lists, 3 cystoscopy lists and 2-3 prostate biopsy clinics together with an MDT. Urodynamics, CT, MRI and some interventional radiology are available on-site.
NHS Forth Valley
The NHS Forth Valley area has a population of nearly 300,000 and covers a geographic area from Killin and Tyndrum in the North to Strathblane and Bo'ness in the South. Inpatient urology is located at Stirling Royal Infirmary with day surgery and clinics taking place at Falkirk Royal Infirmary. During the next year, however, services will be re-located to the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital at Larbert which is currently nearing completion.
Forth Valley offers excellent opportunities for trainees. A team of four enthusiastic consultants oversees a wide variety of core urology as well as opportunities for exposure to laparoscopic surgery, open pelvic oncology and stone surgery. We also offer exposure to laser surgery of the prostate with HoLEP currently being performed at Falkirk Royal Infirmary.
Top
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
Click here to see recent publications from the units in Glasgow.
Southern General Hospital
The Southern General Hospital is a large teaching hospital with approximately 900 acute beds and, in combination with the Victoria Infirmary, provides acute services to the city south of the River Clyde. The urology department delivers comprehensive service to a population of 400,000 people. The department consists of 5 consultants, 1 associate specialist, 5 training grade doctors and 4 specialist nurses. Outpatient services and day case surgery are provided at the New Victoria Hospital, a dedicated ambulatory care and diagnostic centre, opened in 2009. Inpatient services are based at the Southern General and include uro-oncology, upper tract laparoscopy, endourology, female urology and reconstruction.
Specialist urology services are also provided in the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Unit for Scotland, the site of the Scottish National Sacral Nerve Stimulation Service. A major £840 million redevelopment is under way to move all inpatient services to the Southern General site by 2015 and, with the incorporation of a new children’s hospital, to create one of the largest hospital campuses in Europe.
A link to the plans is provided here.
Gartnavel General Hospital / Vale of Leven Hospital
Gartnavel General Hospital, primarily serves the urological population of the West of Glasgow. Following the appointment of a new consultant, urological services have recently been repatriated to the Vale of Leven Hospital. There is support from urology specialist nurses and the unit actively participates in the training of specialist registrars within the West of Scotland rotation.
In addition to delivering a general urological service, the unit also performs complex renal surgery (including partial nephrectomy with on-site access to radio-frequency ablation) as well as being the national centre for testicular cancer and the regional centre for penile cancer (including sentinel node biopsies with an established collaboration with the Regional Plastic Surgery Department at Glasgow Royal Infirmary). Female urology and reconstruction (including the management of urethral strictures), pelvic oncology, a national prostate cryotherapy service and upper tract laparoscopy are also available.
The unit has established links with the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, including specialised uro-oncology and renal cancer clinics and recruits for national and international trials.
Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow / Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The new Stobhill Hospital was opened in May 2009 at a cost of £100 million and is one of the most modern, well-equipped hospitals in Scotland offering a welcoming and comfortable environment for patients and visitors. The hospital houses a dedicated Urology Suite staffed by experienced urology nurse practitioners and provides a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment facility for all office-based urological conditions.
The unit aims to enhance the quality of urological care and speed up the diagnosis and treatment of urological conditions. Day surgery and a 23-hour facilities are currently situated in the old Stobhill Hospital until the new purpose built facility is completed in the summer of 2010. On completion, inpatient urological services will migrate to Gartnavel General Hospital and outpatient services remain at Stobhill. Urology is supported by a state-of-the-art radiology department and has ready access to the medical and surgical services currently using the hospital.
Top
Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley / Inverclyde Hospital, Greenock
The Urology service for the Clyde area is provided by the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley and by Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock. Four consultant urologists work between the two sites with all inpatient surgery being done in RAH. A core urology service is provided, together with laparoscopy, stone surgery and uro-oncology . Close links have established with the regional oncology service, and with the national lithotripsy service.
NHS Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire lies to the south and east of Glasgow with the M8 at its northern border and the M74 through its heart. The population of 600,000 is served by three district general hospitals.
Urology is based at Monklands District General Hospital whilst outpatient and day case services are provided at Wishaw and Hairmyres. The seven consultants offer a full range of services and subspecialist interests with upper and lower tract teams. The consultants are assisted by three SAS doctors, 5 trainees and a house officer. There is a full range of specialist nurses including a nurse cystoscopist.
There are many academic links with Glasgow and the unit itself has extensive education facilities including a laparoscopic trainer. NHS Lanarkshire Urology has undergone a radical transformation since 2005 when the three units centralised. It continues to develop providing a first class service to the local community, making it an interesting and stimulating place to train and work.
