Urgent care plan to be submitted after Skye incidents

A plan to deliver 24/7 urgent care at a Skye hospital will be submitted to the Scottish government on Friday, according to NHS Highland.

There has been a row over availability of services at Portree after a woman died and another woman suffered a severe allergic reaction in the town on Saturday 11 May.

Six years ago, a review recommended there should be access to urgent non-emergency care 24 hours a day, all week. Currently the care is available by appointment from 08:30 to 19:30 at weekends.

NHS Highland said urgent care was distinct from emergency care, which would continue to be provided at Skye's Broadford Hospital by calling 999.

The incidents earlier this month came during the Skye Live music festival, one of the busiest weekends in Portree.

A 49-year-old woman died after becoming unwell and another woman, Eilidh Beaton, was helped by coastguard and RNLI volunteers after she suffered a severe allergic reaction.

Ms Beaton is said to have become ill just a few hundred yards from Portree Community Hospital, but it was closed at the time.

The incidents were treated as emergencies and ambulances were called.

But they have drawn attention to levels of other services.

Campaign group SOS-NHS Skye and opposition politicians have called for recommendations made in 2018 to be implemented in full.

In Holyrood on Thursday, First Minister John Swinney told MSPs it was a "matter of deep concern to the government" Portree hospital was not open 24/7.

He said there was a three-year period where the hospital was open overnight, but that had since changed because of staffing issues, which the first minister accepted was "not good enough".

A health board spokeswoman said: "NHS Highland will submit its plan to deliver 24/7 urgent care in Portree to Scottish government on 24 May.

"We met with SOS-NHS Skye in Portree Hospital last month and it was helpful to hear and understand the concerns of community members."

The spokeswoman added: "At that time, the new CEO, Fiona Davies, and chair, Sarah Compton-Bishop underlined our commitment to completing the outstanding recommendations of the Sir Lewis Ritchie review, including urgent care provision in north Skye."