NHS Highland working to “improve patient experience” after our investigation highlights excessive waiting times for seriously ill patients at Raigmore Hospital
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
NHS Highland says it is working to “improve patient experience” at Raigmore Hospital after our reporter unearthed evidence of excessive waiting times for people requiring emergency treatment.
Annabelle Gauntlett shadowed an Inverness ambulance crew on a single 12-hour shift and spoke to one ambulance technician who helped a critically ill patient through a seven and a half hour wait within the emergency vehicle outside the hospital.
In that one shift, she witnessed first hand a wait of around an hour for a woman suffering a possible heart attack and three hours for a woman with breathing problems and a blood clot.
RELATED: 12-hour shift on the front line with Inverness’s ambulance service
Annabelle also heard hard-pressed ambulance staff describe how a sudden rise in septic cases appeared linked to lengthy waiting times of up to two weeks for patients trying to secure a GP appointment.
The difficulties in being seen at a doctor’s surgery were encouraging people to not report symptoms until they became much worse.
NHS Highland insists it is no different from hospitals across Scotland and the UK in witnessing queues of ambulances outside its buildings.
But a spokeswoman stressed the health board was working tirelessly to improve the situation.
READ MORE HERE:
GP wait times in Inverness cause influx of emergency septic cases
She said: “Similar to other areas across Scotland and the UK, we are experiencing high levels of demand across all of our services.
“However, we are always looking at ways we can improve our patient experience and ensure safe, person centred, and effective care.
“We work with our community colleagues to improve patient flow within our system and work with our Scottish Ambulance Service colleagues to try and help mitigate waiting times through joint escalation plans.”
