RECORD levels of consultants are currently operating in the Lothians, new figures have revealed.
The number providing expert patient care rose to 740 by December, compared to 685 in September 2005.
Consultants have the highest levels of knowledge in various treatment areas and greater numbers will mean more people can be treated in the Lothi
ans rather than transferred elsewhere in the UK.
NHS Lothian said the seven per cent increase has helped the health board deliver ever-swifter treatment for patients. It has recently enjoyed a perfect record in hitting tough waiting time targets set by the Scottish Government.
Hard work by staff combined with investment means no patients able to receive treatment is now waiting for more than 18 weeks in the Lothians. Dr Charles Swainson, medical director at NHS Lothian, said: "We have used increased funding from the Government to invest in front-line staff. With more staff, we're able to do more and our patients are seeing the benefits."
Numbers are set to be boosted further by the recruitment of seven new consultants at Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital.
The hospital was the subject of a successful Evening News campaign to prevent its cancer and neurology services being downgraded. If those services had been lost it would have been likely some expertise would have gone with it as the Sick Kids would have lost its world-leading status.
It is set to move to Little France in 2012 but is already looking at ways of improving the level of care available to young patients.
It is planning to almost double its level of expertise in cancer with two new consultants, taking its total to five. A new consultant will also be recruited in neurology with a further four hired in intensive care where the number of beds will be rising from six to eight.
