Edward Mountain: Health care concerns in Caithness must be addressed
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Holyrood Notebook by Edward Mountain
Huge concerns are growing locally about the provision of health care in the far north and across the Highlands.
At the time of writing, there have been at least four public petitions lodged at the Scottish Parliament during this session, which are calling on the Scottish Government to address health care challenges in Caithness.
Whether its deep concerns about centralisation or the future of maternity care, these petitions indicate that the current model of rural healthcare in our region is falling short of expectations.
I will continue to campaign for our local hospitals to receive the investment they need to ensure that care and treatment can be delivered locally to remote rural communities.
As we know only too well, this has not been the direction of travel for some time under both the Scottish Government and NHS Highland.
The recent publication of the Moray Maternity Services Review has been a stark reminder of this fact. While the Scottish Government have promised the return of a consultant-led maternity unit to Elgin, it remains unclear how committed they are to achieving this aim in the near-future.
I will certainly hold the Scottish Government to their promise, and also remind them that they cannot continue to ignore the hazards faced by expectant Caithness mums who continue to face similar gruelling journeys to Raigmore too.
It is simply unsustainable for the Scottish Government to suggest that circumstances in Moray are different to those in Caithness. They are not and Caithness deserves a complete review of maternity service provision.
Another matter which must also be urgently reviewed is NHS Highland’s decision to reduce funding for the Highland’s Pre-hospital Immediate Care and Trauma (PICT) team.
PICT teams attend the scenes of major trauma incidents providing advanced care, extending the capabilities of the Scottish Ambulance Service, for those at risk of losing their life and those who require urgent medical attention.
For this service to be reduced from seven days to four days through a funding cut is shocking, to say the least.
Indeed, this decision is so alarming that 30 health professionals involved in the PICT service have taken the courageous act to pen an open letter to the chair of NHS Highland, setting out their profound concerns.
This is a pioneering service which meets the unique local needs and geographical challenges of the Highlands. It is exactly the type of health care provision our region needs more of, not less.
It is therefore unacceptable that the health board would choose to reduce funding, especially at a time when A&E services are under pressure too.
I continue to campaign to save PICT and I am currently raising this matter with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. I look forward to receiving his response, in which I hope he will join calls for NHS Highland to reconsider their funding reductions.
Enhancing and investing in our local health care teams is vital and should be a major part of NHS Highland’s remobilisation plans.
Rest assured, I will continue to press for the development of a Highland health care model which more effectively meets the needs of those in the far north.
- Edward Mountain is a Highlands and Islands list MSP for the Scottish Conservatives.
