§ Baroness Gardner of Parkesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, in view of the Royal College of Surgeons' recommendation of 24-hour availability of maxillofacial surgery on the site of all accident and emergency departments, the Royal Free Hospital maxillo-facial unit is to be closed; and [HL690]
Why the consultant maxillo-facial surgeon post for work at the Royal Free Hospital was withdrawn one week before the date proposed for interviewing the already short-listed candidates. [HL691]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe Royal College of Surgeons' recommendation outlined in the BetterCare for the Severely Injured Report advocates a requirement for oral and maxillo-facial trauma services to provide 24 hours cover. However the facilities need not be on site and can be derived from network arrangements between adjacent hospitals. The Royal Free Hospital has complied with this recommendation. Following the retirement of the previous postholder, and after unsuccessfully trying to recruit to this post, it was concluded that without senior staff the service was no longer viable. It was therefore agreed that the Eastman Dental Hospital, part of University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, should provide cover for facial trauma for the Royal Free. A protocol was agreed with the accident and emergency department at the Royal Free Hospital and the arrangement has been running satisfactorily since April 2001.
After the Royal Free Hospital failed to recruit a consultant, an attempt was made to create a joint oral surgery post between University College London NHS Trust and the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust.
At a late stage in the process, University College London indicated that it did not have sufficient funding for its element of the post and had to withdraw. It was subsequently agreed that the Eastman Dental Hospital should provide facial trauma cover for the Royal Free. This arrangement has been running satisfactorily since April 2001 and as a result there are no current plans to create another joint oral surgery post.