Ambulance transfers between Caithness and Raigmore still running at more than one a day
Ambulance transfers between Caithness and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness are continuing at a rate of more than one a day, it has emerged.
Statistics from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) show there were 367 land transfers during 2022 – fewer than in the previous year but more than in 2020.
Over a five-year period, the total number of transfers between Caithness General Hospital and Raigmore amounted to 1950 – an average of 390 annually.
Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) says it has had long-running concerns over the number of patient transfers using frontline ambulances. The campaign group has warned that a locally based ambulance could end up spending all its shift outside the county, reducing the cover available in the far north.
The yearly figures, covering the period from 2018 to 2022 inclusive, were obtained through a Freedom of Information request by a Caithness resident who has asked not to be named.
There were 439 land transfers between Caithness General Hospital and Raigmore Hospital in 2018 and 408 in 2019. Figures for the following three years were 347 (2020), 389 (2021) and 367 (2022), giving a total of 1950.
CHAT chairman Ron Gunn said: "CHAT has always had concerns about the number of patient transfers using frontline ambulances. We have been assured that these ambulances are only used when there is a need to use them.
"The numbers have reduced very slightly but there is still an average of over one transfer a day.
"We normally have one 24/7 ambulance in Wick and one in Thurso, with extra cover available at different times during the day.
"When an ambulance drops a patient off at Raigmore it then becomes available to respond to any call in the Highlands. Therefore that ambulance could spend all its shift outwith Caithness, reducing the cover available in the north.
"We regularly meet with SAS and have suggested that they set up a separate team just to deal with ambulance transfers, as this would free up frontline ambulances."
At the same time, a Freedom of Information request was made for the number of ambulance transfers between Caithness General Hospital and New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital in Inverness from 2018 to 2022.
The five-year total came to 66. Annual figures were 16 transfers in both 2018 and 2019, then 15 (2020), nine (2021) and 10 (2022).
