Question reference: S6W-14521
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 27 January 2023
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations in the report, Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross Out of Hours Services.
Answer
The Independent External View of Skye, Lochalsh and South-West Ross Report written by Sir Lewis Ritchie contained 15 recommendations. Progress has been made on most of the recommendations, including preservation of in-patient bed provision at Portree Hospital, increasing Scottish Ambulance Service capacity, restoring sustainable out of hours care to the communities of Raasay and Glenelg & Arnisdale and promoting digital innovation - the SkyeLab* project.
24/7 urgent care provision at Portree Hospital was partially suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 and then fully suspended in 2022, because of severe staff shortages. Workforce recruitment and retention issues continue to be a challenge for all health services, something which is not just felt in the Highlands and Islands but across the UK. Partial restoration of the out of hours (OOH) service at Portree Hospital began on 9 January 2023 with weekend and public holiday opening 9am-6pm. In 2022, Sir Lewis Ritchie made two visits to Skye (in May and November) to assess progress, a further visit is planned for later in 2023.