Health Secretary Shona Robison is facing questions from MSPs over why Scottish Government plans to establish a network of special trauma centres have been delayed by years.

Ms Robison is due to make a statement on the issue to Holyrood next week before being quizzed by opposition politicians.

It comes after both Tory leader Ruth Davidson and Labour's Kezia Dugdale pressed Nicola Sturgeon on the delay at First Minister's Questions - with the Conservative demanding Ms Robison come to the Scottish Parliament to "give a full statement".

At the time, Ms Sturgeon rejected this, saying: ''Can I just point out to Ruth Davidson I'm standing in the chamber right now, answering questions right now from her on major trauma centres.

''If she can't get any or all of the information about this that she wants, I would suggest that's about a deficiency in her ability to ask questions, not about any lack of information from the Scottish Government.''

Holyrood's timetable was later changed to include a statement from the Health Secretary on Wednesday January 18.

Ms Davidson said afterwards: "The Health Secretary needs to answer for the delays to trauma centres and I'm pleased the SNP has bowed to our pressure on this one.

"It is utterly wrong for the Scottish Government to keep trying to bypass parliament when it comes to policy announcements.

"Nicola Sturgeon tried hard at First Minister's Questions to pretend no such statement was needed.

"I'm glad wiser heads have recognised how terrible it looks for the SNP to delay vital new trauma centres by three years or more and then refuse to answer questions as to why."

When the creation of the new trauma centres in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow was announced in 2014, the Scottish Government said these would be operational from 2016.

However, on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon admitted the ''scale and complexity'' of the changes meant full implementation would ''take at least three years''.

Pressed on the issue at First Minister's Questions, the SNP leader said her programme for government last year had only committed to conclude the preparatory work for the project by the end of 2016.

She added that ''many of the improvements'' planned would be put in place over the course of 2017.

Ms Davidson told her it was originally planned the trauma centres would receive their first patients in 2016, adding: "'Communities have been expecting these centres for two years and now have been told at least another three. I think they deserve a fuller explanation than the one given.''

Ms Dugdale claimed the delay in getting the centres up and running "could be a matter of life and death".

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said the Scottish Government had "caved in to Labour demands that Shona Robison come to parliament and explains her failures".

He added: "This is the second time she has attempted to hide behind the First Minister.

"The first time was after the worst Audit Scotland report on our NHS since devolution and now after broken promises on vital trauma centres.

"Labour called for this statement because we expect Shona Robison to outline the effect this delay will have on patient care and our already over-stretched staff."