NHS Highland says it is committed to Caithness General Hospital
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
NHS Highland has said that it remains committed to Caithness General Hospital, despite claims to the contrary.
Its comments come after consultant Dr Tim Shallcross spoke about his fear for the future of the hospital.
He said extreme financial pressures facing health boards to reduce costs may result in a streamlined service to patients in the Far North.
North Highland Community Partnership general manager Sheena Macleod said the board is fully focused on providing a safe, high-quality service to patients as close to their homes as possible, while making efficient uses of its resources.
"Current policy protects rural general hospitals which are promoted by NHS Highland and must have a range of consultant services provided within them," she said,
"However, the services they provide must be safe, of good quality and be sustainable."
She explained that CHP is facing the same financial pressures as the rest of NHS Highland and other health boards across Scotland.
While the Government’s funding to the NHS is not being cut, it will not be able to keep up with health service inflation from rising drug costs, new technology and increasing demands for service.
"Over the past few years we have seen the introduction of renal dialysis, cataract surgery, CT scanning and chemotherapy, bringing a wider range of treatments available more locally to our patients," said Mrs Macleod.
"However, we need to reduce waste and to be more efficient so we are able to live within the funding we receive and make further improvements to benefit more patients.
"To do this we will need to redesign services and streamline what we do but there is total commitment to having a good-quality, sustainable service at Caithness General. "
