Policy actions  5 of 5

National Treatment Centres

The National Treatment Centre (NTC) programme is an investment by the Scottish Government to support a national network of purpose-built healthcare facilities across Scotland for planned and diagnostic care. The new facilities will be an important resource both locally and nationally providing:

  • an increase in capacity to support patients to access treatment
  • increased flexibility for patients accessing treatment
  • support collaborative working across territorial NHS Boards

Two new National Treatment Centres are due to open in early 2024:

NTC Fife Orthopaedics (Kirkcaldy) opened in March 2023 and will provide capacity for almost 500 orthopaedic procedures in 2023/24,  increasing to over 700 by 2025/26.

NTC Highland (Inverness) opened in April 2023, creating additional capacity for orthopaedic and ophthalmic procedures, including hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery.

In November 2020, we opened the Eye Centre at NHS Golden Jubilee University National Hospital. In 2021/22 over 8,700 cataract operations were undertaken at this new facility. 

Altogether, the new centres will provide:

  • a total capacity of eight additional orthopaedic theatres
  • an additional inpatient/daycase ward
  • five endoscopy rooms
  • two general theatres

Read more at National Treatment Centres | NHS inform  

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