Problems can hit harder in countryside than in cities
Risks than cities as poverty, service cuts and GP shortage take toll
When three-year-old Rosie Miller fell ill with suspected meningitis, her mum rushed her to the nearest hospital in Caithness.
But without specialist paediatricians on site, the toddler was sent to Raigmore in Inverness, a 70-mile journey that took four hours because there was no ambulance available.
Mum Ashley, 30, said: “Rosie was diagnosed with suspected meningitis. I was told she would be blue-lighted to Inverness within 40 minutes but the other ambulance was out on another emergency call and it took four hours for her to reach paediatric care at Raigmore.
“Caithness General staff did everything expected of them to give her antibiotics and good care but she needed a paediatrician. I am shocked that there is not one in Caithness.”
Ashley was later told that Rosie did not have meningitis but a serious infection which also needed paediatric care.
“Rosie survived but I fear that other children who become seriously ill may not,” said Ashley. She and her husband John, 31, an offshore worker, have asked their MSP, Rhoda Grant, to get NHS Highland to reconsider the lack of paediatric care.
“A lack of specialised paediatric care makes me wonder whether we should be living in a rural area,” said Ashley. NHS Highland said: “Caithness General does not have a paediatrician nor are there plans for one.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Patients with immediately life threatening conditions, such as a cardiac arrest, are prioritised.
“Across Scotland, we are training 1,000 new paramedics by 2021. This includes nine new posts in Caithness.” In remote, rural communities, one of the key concerns is the time needed to go to hospital appointments.
People who need to access consultant specialists or have follow-ups after an operation might have to take time off work and travel long distances to get to that appointment.
There’s a suggestion that people might not attend that type of follow-up appointment because of the impact on their day-to-day life.
There is evidence that says people in rural areas are less likely to ask for help or to come forward and see a doctor in the first instance.
People do talk about a fear in having to leave their community, especially if they think it’s something that’s going to require hospitalisation. One of the big challenges is the reluctance of people to apply for GP roles in rural areas. It’s increasingly difficult to find staff who want to be based in rural areas. Anything that could be done to encourage GPS to work in rural areas would be a benefit. People may lack access in more remote and rural communities to things like gyms and swimming pools to help them maintain physical health. One of the key challenges for the rural population is the fact that it’s ageing.
We have increasingly high proportions of older people within rural populations. One of the things that comes with that is an increase in the number of long-term conditions, so people are living longer but with more complications to deal with.
There can be high levels of social isolation. particularly for older people living alone. There’s the geographical aspect and also that you might not have a lot of day-to-day contact with other people.
The rates of suicide for young men are also worse in rural areas, and that’s absolutely to do with isolation and the rural economy.
If there’s a lack of opportunity job-wise and trying to get on the housing ladder can be really difficult for young people.
It could be similar issues to those experienced in cities but there’s an amplification of factors because you’re in a rural setting. The impact is greater.