Health Secretary Shona Robison has confirmed the chief medical officer will head up a group to deliver a major trauma centre to Aberdeen.
Dr Catherine Calderwood will work with NHS Grampian to bring the life-saving facility to the Granite City.
Ms Robison said Dr Calderwood would have the “necessary preparation work … completed by the end of the year”.
The National Trauma Network Implementation Group will help deliver a total of four major trauma centres, the others being in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Fears had been raised that Aberdeen could miss out on the life-saving facility, but an 11th hour intervention from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ensured it would go ahead.
Ms Robison said: “Scotland’s trauma network will save lives, deliver improved outcomes for severely injured patients and fully support them to return to normal life.
“It will involve hospitals across Scotland, including the four trauma centres we have committed to in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, and Edinburgh – working together to ensure that people are treated in the right place as quickly as possible.
“It is therefore extremely important that we plan our trauma network thoroughly – to make sure we get it right.
“The new National Trauma Network Implementation Group, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, will take this work forward.”
Dr Calderwood added: “We need to design and deliver a trauma network within the context of the National Clinical Strategy – a network that is resourced appropriately, fit for purpose and which will ensure people receive excellent care quickly, in the most appropriate setting.”
