NHS Highland says it is 'committed to improving local access to services in Caithness'
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NHS Highland is "committed to improving local access to services in Caithness". That is the pledge made by the health board in response to a claim that a patient from the county may have to travel a total of 220 miles to get her ears syringed in Inverness.
The case was highlighted by Thurso community councillor, Billy Sinclair, and reported in the John O' Groat Journal last week. Mr Sinclair wondered why the person could not have the treatment in the county.
He said: "Nurses are trained for five years and doctors for seven so why someone can't get their ears syringed up here is beyond me. If you can get it done at a local opticians why can't you get it done by a nurse or a doctor in Caithness."
A spokesman for NHS Highland said it is "working closely with Caithness Health Action Team and various community partners to deliver services as locally as possible."
He added: "We are unable to comment on individual cases. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with the patient and would encourage them to contact us to discuss their case in more detail."
The spokesman stressed that ear syringing is no longer considered to be the first line treatment for clearing of ear wax.
He said: "Current guidance is that ear drops should be used to soften the wax which will help with the natural removal of wax from the ear. The removal of ear wax is only carried out for specific clinical reasons by specialist staff, current best practice is to use Microsuction rather than syringing. This service is provided by our ENT specialist nurse in either Raigmore in Inverness or Ross Memorial Hospital in Dingwall. The service is also provided by Specsavers, Boots and various Hearing Aid businesses.
The spokesman added: "Consultant led Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services continue to provide outpatient clinics in Caithness and from other locations across NHS Highland. The ENT service is a small team with limited capacity covering a large geographical area. As a result, patients are prioritised relating to their clinical need."
As reported last week, Mr Sinclair also queried why patients in the north, who have to travel south to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for appointments, often have to be there early in the morning.
"People from Caithness are getting appointments for 7.30am. Why can't somebody work out that people from here would be better getting their appointments in the afternoon," he asked.
Ron Gunn, the chairman of the Caithness Health Action Team and a Thurso Highland councillor, said "thousands of patients" from the far north are having to go down to Inverness for appointments and claimed that the centralisation of services is the problem.
"It is an ongoing issue and one we raise all the time with NHS Highland. They are looking into and trying to address it. Patients are concerned about having to travel down to Inverness for minor stuff which could be done here. It can be a traumatic experience, especially for elderly people."
Mr Gunn said the appointments system does not seem to take account of people's post code and feels that is something which should be addressed.
