Cystic Fibrosis Centres in Scotland
The East Regional Adult Cystic Fibrosis Service at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh is one of three centres in Scotland caring for adults with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) – the others based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The Edinburgh center provides outreach services to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The Edinburgh CF Adult Service is based within the Respiratory Services at the Western General Hospital providing a full range of care for adults with CF living in Lothian, Fife, Borders, Forth Valley, Highlands, Tayside & Dumfries. It is based on Ward 54 in the Anne Ferguson Building (pictured) at the Western General Hospital. The majority of our patients are managed as outpatients and we run weekly multidisciplinary clinics. (This includes a weekly outreach clinic at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee).
Between clinics, outpatients can access the team by day case attendance on Ward 54, arranged via our CF nurses. Ward 54 also features 11 single rooms with en-suite facilities for inpatient care.
CF out-patient clinics are held in Edinburgh every Monday & Wednesday and in Dundee on Thursdays. Clinics are carefully segregated on different days according to the organisms present on sputum culture, to minimise the risk of cross-infection between patients. For the same reason, the Service also operates individually segregated clinics, so that patients are always in separate rooms and never wait together in the outpatient or inpatient environment.
Aims of the Service
- To provide specialist care and promote all aspects of health and well being in young people and adults with CF.
- To offer support to young people and adults with CF and their families.
- To help patients and their families cope with the impact that CF has on their quality of life.
- To provide easy access to all members of the CF team as required.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy is to provide patients with the best possible quality of life in a friendly, caring and supportive atmosphere ensuring patients receive expert care, advice and information.
Anne Ferguson Building, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU
History of the Cystic Fibrosis Service
Our CF service was developed in 1992 by Professor Andy Greening and Dr Sandy Raeburn who were fortunate enough to obtain support from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and developed the service with one CF liaison sister and one CF clinical fellow. They were able to persuade the Scottish Office that the growing population of adults with CF had complex care needs which were best served by expert centres with specific funding, and got the go-ahead to set up the Scottish Adult Cystic Fibrosis Service, funded by National Services Division of NHS Scotland.
In 1992 we had 55 patients attending the Edinburgh adult CF service and over time we evolved an outreach service to serve additional patients in Dundee. This number has increased on a yearly basis, reaching 260 in 2024 plus another 60 reviewed at outreach clinic in Dundee. Our adult service is a truly National Service, since there are patients from all four corners of Scotland. Some attend the clinic in Edinburgh and others attend clinics in Inverness, Dumfries and Dundee.
