NHS Highland assures all 12 beds at Portree hospital will be open
Assurances were made by NHS Highland last week that all 12 beds at Portree Community Hospital will be open by May next year.
The news follows the publication of the Ritchie Report in May, which categorically stated that not only must the hospital remain open, but that services there should be enhanced.
The constituency MSP for Skye, Kate Forbes, welcomed the news. Along with local people, the SOS Skye campaign group and fellow politicians, Ms Forbes has previously raised concerns about the health board’s repeated closures of out-of hours services in the north of Skye.
The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch said: ‘The Ritchie Review of healthcare provision in north Skye was very clear that improvements had to be made to make it make healthcare more resilient.
‘I welcomed the report as it gave an independent review of healthcare in the north and laid out a series of recommendations for improvements.
‘Since then, it has been important that we reach milestones to demonstrate that the report is being implemented.’
She continued: ‘Beds in Portree hospital are perhaps one of the most important developments for communities in the north of Skye and I am delighted to see this progress.
‘There is, of course, further progress to be made but this will hopefully assure communities in north Skye that the Ritchie Report is being implemented.’