CALLS FOR PROBE AFTER SKYE DEATH
MSPs are demanding an investigation into emergency medical provision on Skye, after a woman died at a music festival last weekend, just “minutes” from the closed doors of Portree Community Hospital.
An ambulance was called to attend an unwell woman at the Skye Live Music Festival in Portree at 11.50pm on Saturday May 11, arriving at 12.24am. “However, the woman was pronounced dead,” Police Scotland said. “There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) added: “A call for a separate incident was also received at 11.56pm at Bank Street, Portree. All 999 calls are triaged to ensure we prioritise patients with life-threatening conditions and we arrived on scene at this second incident at 12.38am. One patient was transported to Broadford Hospital, Skye.”
NHS Highland said both incidents were supported by an off-duty advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) on-site, and a doctor from Broadford Hospital A&E. “For one of the incidents, an oxygen mask was secured from Portree Hospital to support with the ongoing treatment,” it said. “Due to patient confidentiality, it would be inappropriate for us to make further comment.”
The incidents came weeks after Save Portree
Hospital campaigners held an “SOS-NHS Bed Push & Protest” in the town on Wednesday April 24, calling for 24/7 walk-in urgent care to be restored at Portree Hospital, and lost beds to be reinstated. They also protested against NHS Highlands’ failure to deliver the recommendations of the Sir Lewis Ritchie report from 2018.
Two local MSPs have now called for an urgent investigation. Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston (Conservative) said: “My thoughts are with all those involved, particularly the family and friends of the woman who tragically lost her life at the music festival in Portree.
“I have also been contacted about another
incident which happened only minutes from the closed hospital and which, because of a lack of ambulance cover, required the involvement of RNLI crew. “There is real local anger over the lack of availability of urgent care at NHS Portree during a period that saw a high numbers of visitors in the area.
“I will be writing to the health secretary and NHS Highland asking for an investigation into why Portree Hospital was closed and, as it appears, adequate urgent care provision wasn’t in place.”
He plans to raise the issue with the new First Minister, John Swinney, at today’s (Thursday’s) FMQs, as he did with the previous First Minister in April.
The new Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, SNP MSP for Skye,
Lochaber and Badenoch, added: “My deepest sympathy to those who have lost a loved one. My heartfelt thanks to all who assisted with both emergencies. “I am, however, hugely concerned by reports that during a medical emergency, access to Portree Hospital was limited for vital life-saving equipment. This is extremely serious if so. “My first aim is to get all the facts so I understand precisely what happened, and secondly there must be accountability.”
Ms Forbes has also written to NHS Highland “demanding an urgent investigation”, the SAS and health secretary too, “such is the seriousness of this situation”.
NHS Highland said: “Urgent care is available at Portree Community Hospital by appointment on Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays from 8.30am-7.30pm. This is an ANP led, non-emergency, appointment-based, out-of-hours primary care service and will assess patients who can’t wait until their GP surgery opens.”
Ms Forbes added: “The full implementation of the Sir Lewis Ritchie report recommendations is something local campaigners and I have been pushing for some time now. Enough is enough. It has been six years and the timescales for delivering the recommendations keeps shifting. North Skye in particular needs to know there is resilience and confidence in their local health service.”
One islander said: “If this weekend doesn’t highlight the need to reinstate the 24hr A&E as said in Sir Lewis Ritchie’s report, then what the hell will it take?”