Isolation ward set up at Caithness General Hospital
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AN isolation ward has been created at Caithness General Hospital as staff prepare to deal with coronavirus cases.
NHS Highland is preparing for "a potential increase in suspected and confirmed Covid-19 cases" in the area.
A spokesman for the health board said "significant work" had been undertaken at the Wick hospital, involving wards being reconfigured to create an isolation ward in what was the community maternity unit. The maternity facility has been relocated to a refurbished area on the ground floor.
All of our staff are working tirelessly in Caithness, and indeed across NHS Highland.
Responding to an enquiry from the John O'Groat Journal, he said: "Significant work has been carried out in Caithness General Hospital to realign departments in preparation for a potential increase in suspected and confirmed Covid-19 cases locally.
"This work has included reconfiguring wards so that we have an isolation ward, if required, to treat Covid-19 patients. All of our staff are working tirelessly locally in Caithness, and indeed across the whole of NHS Highland, to ensure that we are prepared for the expected increase in the number of cases."
Meanwhile, a Caithness union official has asked NHS Highland for clarification on the availability of the equipment and staff needed to deal with local coronavirus cases.
Willie Swanson, the GMB's assistant branch secretary for the Highlands and Islands, said the union has many members within the NHS and the Scottish Ambulance Service. He has requested information about the availability of ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices within the NHS Highland area as well as their numbers and locations.
"It needs all agencies and public bodies working together to achieve the best possible outcome – this also involves the community obeying the stay at home order and lessening contact with others," Mr Swanson said. "The NHS staff are doing a great job and we should all be supporting them in any way we can.
"Local companies are helping. I know there has been a lot of people coming forward to offer themselves as volunteers, which is good and can, hopefully, be utilised during this difficult time.
"It is only fair to say all trade unions are behind the effort to assist our emergency services during Covid-19."
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