Under-pressure NHS board delays non-urgent care appointments

NHS Western Isles has had to delay several nonurgent care appointments due to sustained pressure on services.

Alongside its response to the Covid pandemic, the health board has been delivering its full range of services over the last year.

However, due to sustained pressure and a building backlog of people needing NHS support on the remote islands the health board has had to take the difficult decision.

The health board has decided to delay a number of non-urgent planned care episodes and appointments.

This is to allow health and social care services to respond effectively to urgent, cancer and unplanned care.

Services will shift focus for a temporary period to those most in need of urgent care as Scotland prepares for a cold winter.

It also follows on from NHS Highland being forced to cancel “urgent operations” due to the ongoing crisis in the NHS to tackle both the pandemic and the backlog.

NHS Western Isles has been administering Covid booster jabs and has now jabbed just over 44% of the population.

Patients affected, whose care will be rescheduled, will be contacted individually to advise them of any changes to their appointments.

NHS Western Isles chief-executive Gordon Jamieson said: “Pressure on our services at present is significant and current projections suggest that this demand will continue and increase further through the winter.

“It was therefore necessary to take action to protect our urgent, unplanned and cancer care services and ensure that those who are most unwell receive the services that they need.”

Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway.