By Wesley Stuart

ON July 3, 2015, the Queen officially opened the South Glasgow Hospital that now bears her name. While not a jubilee year, any anniversary presents moment to review progress. The pandemic has shone the spotlight on how healthcare responds to new challenges, but change has been the dominant feature in the life of this hospital which remains a young institution. Six years ago this hospital was opened to address the challenges of 21st century medicine.

The hospital brought together three teams – from the south came the Southern General Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary teams, and from the other side of the river, the Western Infirmary and Gartnavel General Team. Very different hospitals and catchment areas. Add to this mix regional services already on campus, and those joined, alongside a paediatric and maternity service. The first task was creating a new and diverse hospital environment: new colleagues, ideas, opportunities, and new ways of working. Old traditions were lost, and perhaps grieved, and adaptations and compromises made.

In the first year, a surgical robot was installed, collaboratively funded by Prostate Scotland and NHSGGC. So many patients have now benefited from this way of operating – minimally invasive, better views and control for dissection, shorter stay, less use of critical care. This year, a second surgical robot was commissioned in the QEUH, funded by the Scottish Government, conferring similar benefits to new patient groups.

The National Services Division of NHS Scotland has commissioned new services. Radical surgery for urology cancers is now provided in the QEUH for the whole of Scotland by a small highly specialist surgical team demonstrating excellent outcomes. CAR T-cell therapy is an exciting new treatment for cancer provided at the QEUH. These complement the national services established before the hospital opened, but are now based here, including lung disease and transplant surgery.

In August the Major Trauma Centre (MTC) opens. We already see much of the anticipated work, but with MTC status comes a responsibility to maintaining good results. The infrastructure and wide and diverse clinical links in the QEUH make it possible to provide very specialised and high-quality care on one campus. Support from an interventional radiology team with state of the art equipment, neurosurgery, critical care, renal medicine and many others will enable the trauma teams to deliver person-centred quality care at all stages of treatment and rehabilitation.

It would be wrong not to reflect the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which has occupied thoughts and so much of our clinical resource over the last 18 months. As well as acknowledging the care, commitment and dedication of all staff groups, it is also important to remember the burden created by this illness, especially because so many aspects of care remain affected. However, many new ways of working developed as part of the pandemic response will remain as fast-tracked improvements. The inherent flexibility of the QEUH, and, of course, the commitment of colleagues means we are equipped to face the inevitable challenges that providing healthcare brings.

Wesley Stuart is Chief of Medicine for QEUH and the South Sector, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.