Information on Scotland’s National Treatment Centres
The National Treatment Centres (NTCs) are a network of healthcare facilities across Scotland.
NTCs provide extra capacity for planned:
NTCs will be a national resource which should:
The NHS Golden Jubilee Eye Centre began treating patients in November 2020.
NTC Fife Orthopaedics began treating patients in March 2023.
NTC Highland began treating patients in April 2023.
There are also 2 NTCs currently under construction which are due to open in 2023. These centres are in:
You may be offered treatment at an NTC if you’re on the waiting list for:
Your local health board will always try to offer you an appointment in your local area. However, you may be offered treatment at an NTC to ensure you’re seen as quickly as possible. This’ll be the case even if your local health board doesn’t have an NTC.
The decision to offer treatment at an NTC will be made by clinicians. They’ll take your treatment type and ability to travel into account. If you’re offered treatment at an NTC, you’ll be notified by your local health board as soon as possible.
It’s important that you consider all offers of appointment made by your health board and that you make every effort to accept these. If you refuse 2 or more reasonable offers, which will include an NTC appointment, the health board may refer you back to your GP.
You should speak to your local health board about help with travel or accommodation costs to attend an appointment at an NTC.
There are many reasons why patients may no longer be able to attend an agreed appointment. It’s important that you let the health board know in good time of the reasons you’re no longer able to attend. This’ll allow them to make an alternative appointment.
You’ll be notified as soon as possible of any appointment that means you’ll have to travel outside your local health board.
Health boards must give you 7 days notice of an appointment. Where possible, they’ll send notice 14 days before your appointment.
You’ll not be discharged from the NTC until it’s safe to do so.