Health board pledge over hospital bed numbers

An assurance from NHS Highland that all 12 beds at Portree Hospital will be open by May next year has been welcomed by MSP Kate Forbes.

NHS Highland confirmed the beds will remain open “until sufficient alternative resilient provision is provided in north Skye”.

Along with local campaigners, Ms Forbes has voiced longstanding 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.

“This will hopefully assure communities in north Skye”

“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 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.”

A spokesman for NHS Highland said: “We agreed to reopen six beds in Portree Hospital, bringing the total beds available to 12.

“This was dependent of further recruitment, which has been a problem in the past and could still be an issue.

“NHS Highland is working closely with the community to determine the future community bed provision and this work will continue over the coming weeks.” to see this