Raigmore Hospital remains under pressure

Pressure at Raigmore Hospital remains high with significant numbers of patients having been admitted over the past few days and very few able to be discharged.

A spokesperson for NHS Highland communications team said the Inverness hospital has seen a higher number of trauma cases coming in and "putting further strain on an already pressurised system".

Support from across all areas of the organisation is being used and all available escalation is in place.

Dr Boyd Peters, medical director for NHS Highland, said: “We are currently very busy, with lots of people needing our services. Our operational planning and the extra efforts of our staff in all our hospitals and community services has ensured that we have been able to respond to these pressures.

"Unfortunately a number of planned operations have had to be cancelled to allow for emergency admissions. I am very sorry that this has been necessary and I'd like to thank patients and their families for their understanding and cooperation at this very difficult time. I sincerely hope we will see these pressures ease soon.”

NHS Highland said it asks the public for its support to ensure that if anyone needs medical care that they should use the most appropriate services. If you need urgent care that is not life-threatening, call NHS24 on 111. NHS 24 will direct you to the most appropriate care, which might be a minor injuries unit, phone or virtual appointment, pharmacy or A&E.

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