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Shetland NHS Board wishes to announce the official launch of '2020 Vision', an exercise to set out the optimum shape of healthcare services in the islands over the next 15 - 20 years. We are looking at a number of key issues, including:

• Potential changes in clinical practice
• Balancing primary care, community and hospital services
• Balancing services in Shetland with services provided in Aberdeen and elsewhere
• Recruitment and retention of appropriately skilled staff
• Making best use of new technology
• Making best use of available resources

Our vision for the future will encompass all aspects of healthcare in Shetland, including GP services, community nursing, services for children, services for older people, mental health and promotion of healthy lifestyles. The 2020 Vision exercise will also help to inform our assessment of the benefits and feasibility of replacing our hospitals in Lerwick with a new facility.

We want as many people as possible to contribute to 2020 Vision. Over the next few weeks we will be holding open sessions for staff, meetings with the Local Health Council and voluntary organisations and workshops for members of the public to share their views.

Board Chairman, Betty Fullerton said "This project is one of the most exciting to be undertaken in Shetland in many years. The NHS Board is committed to involving the people of Shetland, patients, other agencies and our staff in the planning of all services. It is important that we all take the opportunity to feed in our views and ideas for our future in the longer term. We will then be able to make an informed decision on the shape of our NHS over the next twenty years and the facilities required locally to support delivery".

To help take forward the 2020 Vision exercise and the planning process for a new hospital facility, Michael Johnson, the Local Health Care Co-operative Manager has been seconded on a part time basis to manage the project locally with the support of Secta, the UK's largest healthcare consultancy practice who have been engaged by the Board to take this work forward. Martin Clark, Secta's Project Director, said "We at Secta are delighted to work with the Shetland NHS Board on this exciting and challenging project. There exists a unique opportunity to continue to develop a first-class healthcare service in Shetland and we will do our best to help the Board make this happen."

The Board is aiming to complete the first stage of the 2020 Vision exercise in December 2002 and we will provide regular updates on our progress.