Rural hospitals future 'secure'

The future of six rural hospitals has been guaranteed

A new action plan will secure the future of six rural hospitals, according to the health secretary.

Nicola Sturgeon said it would help ensure people living in remote and rural communities received "first class" services from the NHS.

The plan covers Lerwick, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Wick, Fort William and Oban.

A pilot project will start in August introducing a new type of doctor who will have the skills of a GP as well as specialist training in acute medicine.

Technology will also be used to avoid the need for patients and staff to travel.

The hospitals affected are the Gilbert Bain in Lerwick, Balfour in Kirkwall, the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway, Caithness General in Wick, Belford Hospital in Fort William and the Lorn and the Isles Hospital in Oban.

Community care

The government said this would secure the future of the rural general hospitals, which will provide enhanced services to patients as a result - including routine and emergency surgery and midwife-led maternity care.

Other local and community hospitals in remote and rural areas will also offer more services, including outpatient clinics, day case treatment, midwifery services and treatment for minor injuries and emergencies.

To support this enhanced role for remote and rural hospitals, health workers will be supported to develop extra skills, so patients can benefit from being treated by staff with a broad range of expertise.

Extended community care teams will be based in GP practices and will improve integration and communication by bringing GPs, community health nurses, midwives, other health professionals, social workers and others together.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that access to healthcare is as local as possible to everyone in Scotland, no matter where they live Nicola Sturgeon Health Secretary

The pilot project GP specialists will divide their time between the GP surgery and their local rural general hospital.

The plan sets out to have more diagnostic testing carried out locally, to help detect conditions earlier.

NHS boards will also make better use of technology, such as video conferencing, to avoid the need for patients and staff to travel.

Ms Sturgeon said: "Delivering and sustaining healthcare to the 20% of the population living in remote and rural communities can present significant challenges.

"The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that access to healthcare is as local as possible to everyone in Scotland, no matter where they live."

The health secretary added: "It is particularly important that NHS staff providing care in these areas provide integrated services and take the opportunities to increase their skills and expertise so that as much care as possible can be provided locally.

There is much more to do to transform this report into reality Dr Andrew Buist BMA

"It is equally important that patients know what they can expect from community services and rural general hospitals, so that their travel and personal disruption is kept to a minimum."

She said some of the hospitals already provided much of this care, but this action plan would standardise best practice across Scotland.

Dr Andrew Buist, of the BMA's Scottish council and deputy chairman of the Scottish General Practitioners Committee, said the report offered "some solutions to the practical difficulties in delivering services to populations in these areas".

But he said it was important to ensure that there was an infrastructure in place to deliver healthcare to these communities.

"The shortage of health professionals choosing to work in remote areas of Scotland, and the expense of providing sustainable services to smaller populations represent major challenges for the success of this plan," he said.

"There is much more to do to transform this report into reality and I hope that we can work with the Scottish Government and NHS boards to implement many of its recommendations."

Maternity services

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat public health spokesman Jamie Stone expressed concerns about maternity services at Caithness General Hospital in Wick.

He said the consultant-led maternity service there had twice been considered for "downgrading" to a midwife-led service.

Mr Stone said: "Twice the local people have strenuously opposed this backward step, and twice they have won the argument."

He vowed to fight such a move if it was considered again, stating: "I and many others will fight any such proposal tooth and nail."