Far North MP to lead debate on access to rural healthcare

On Wednesday, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Jamie Stone will lead the first adjournment debate of the new parliament on access to rural health care.

In the debate, Mr Stone will highlight the challenges facing people living in his constituency, including difficulties finding dentists and GP staff, the absence of specialist mental health beds for children and young people north of Dundee and the challenges faced by pregnant mothers who are forced to travel to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness from as far as 100 miles away, which can take up to four hours.

Mr Stone said:

“I spent the election campaign promising to be a champion for local healthcare and that is absolutely what I intend to do.

“I am a long term supporter of Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) who have done vital work in imploring the Scottish Government to ensure that fewer people in the Far North have to travel 100 miles to access health services.

“Some years ago, Caithness General Hospital in Wick used to have a consultant-led maternity service but this has been downgraded by NHS Highland to a midwife-led maternity service. What this means is that mothers have to travel over 103 miles from Wick to Inverness to give birth. They are at the mercy of the weather, delays on the roads, or in the most difficult of circumstances, the availability of the air ambulance.

“During Storm Babet, the main arterial road to Raigmore was blocked by the extreme weather. This will not be the last dramatic storm to lash the Highlands, yet for now the current model endures because there is not the wit or willpower in the Scottish Government to change it.

“From getting out on the doors across the constituency, I also know that recruitment and retention of staff is a huge issue. Far too many people are being left in pain because they cannot get a doctor or dentist’s appointment. GP surgeries are having to readvertise roles multiple times or rely on temporary locums. That’s terrible for continuity of care.

“In the Highlands of Scotland, this is particularly acute on the mental health front. I’ve heard horror stories of people having to see a variety of different professionals and having to repeat themselves again and again before anything can be done about it. That is extremely worrying. We need to see permanent staff recruited and ensure access to specialist mental health beds for children and young people north of Dundee.

“I want the powers that be to recognise that people in Caithness and Sutherland deserve high quality, local healthcare every bit as much as every other part of the country.

“It is a real privilege to hold the first debate of this new Parliament, especially on such an important topic for many Members of Parliament of all political colours.

“I hope that this debate can highlight the challenges that my constituency faces, that perhaps would not occur to every MP or resident of the central belt. I will never stop banging the drum on behalf of my constituents in Caithness and Sutherland who deserve not to be forgotten.”