A new £1m medical trauma centre has been officially opened in Aberdeen.

The ScotSTAR (Scottish Specialist Transport and Retrieval) North base will help to provide potentially lifesaving care for trauma patients and other critically ill patients.

It will use helicopters, planes or fast response vehicles in order to provide a major incident pre-hospital medical response, as well as retrieval of patients and giving telephone advice to remote and rural hospital staff.

With the opening of the base, the pre-hospital critical care teams join the teams at the base in Glasgow to provide services covering the whole of Scotland.

Health secretary Jeane Freeman said the centre would ensure that critical care is of the highest standard across the country.

Ms Freeman said: "This new centre complements the services of the Scottish Trauma Network which will improve outcomes at every stage of the trauma patient journey, from pre-admission to rehabilitation.

"ScotSTAR North builds on the work being undertaken by our newly-opened major trauma centres in Aberdeen and Dundee linking up the resources, expertise and infrastructure of NHS boards and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

"The new centre ensures that critical care across Scotland is of the highest standard."

Dr Alastair Ross, ScotSTAR north clinical lead, said: "We are delighted to deliver this service from the ScotSTAR North base in Aberdeen as part of our ongoing commitment to improved patient care across Scotland.

"Working closely together, the teams bring high-quality specialist care to patients by road and air, that best meet patient needs.

"The team is available 24/7 providing consultant-delivered critical care and safe transfer to definitive care for patients in remote healthcare locations and at accident scenes.

"Adult North is a key component of the Scottish Trauma Network and will improve the care of seriously ill and injured patients across Scotland."