Questions after teenager's nightmare ambulance trip
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The move comes after a teenage Durness boy, who was suffering intense pain, endured a nightmare five and a half hour journey by ambulance from his home to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, earlier this month.
Craig MacKinnon (14) had to wait for two hours for the ambulance from Bettyhill to arrive because his nearest ambulance at Kinlochbervie was single-manned and therefore unable to respond.
During the 118-mile journey, a request by paramedics for an air ambulance was refused, a GP had to be called out to administer pain relief and Craig had to be switched to another ambulance after the bed he was lying on in the Bettyhill unit broke.
His parents, Stephen and Angela MacKinnon, Keeper’s Cottage, Keoldale, have complained to their Highland Council representative George Farlow who has promised to raise the issue with Nicola Sturgeon.
The couple have also approached Durness Community Council chairman Kevin Crowe who is to write to the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAC) and the North West Sutherland Local Partnership.
Mrs MacKinnon said: “It was a horrendous experience, absolutely horrendous. This is not something I would ever like anyone else to go through and I pray to God that we do not have to go through it again.”
Locals are becoming increasingly anxious about ambulance staffing in north-west Sutherland, particularly at the Kinlochbervie station where two of the five part-time posts have been vacant for a considerable time.
Kinlochbervie Community Council has been lobbying the Scottish Ambulance Service to upgrade the station to six full-time posts, bringing it in line with the Lochinver ambulance.
Only last month the Northern Times revealed that the Kinlochbervie ambulance had to be parked up for a week because no one was available to crew it due to annual leave and illness.
Craig, a Kinlochbervie High School pupil, has been hospitalised six times since April after suffering intense bouts of pain. His condition has not yet been officially diagnosed and his family are awaiting the results of tests.
The latest incident took place on Friday, 15th August, when the family GP, Dr Alan Belbin, called for an ambulance for Craig at 3.25pm but was informed that the nearest unit, 18 miles away at Kinlochbervie, was single manned and not allowed to attend.
Instead, the ambulance at Bettyhill, 41 miles away, was called out but did not arrive at the MacKinnon home until around 5.30pm.
Mr MacKinnon accompanied Craig in the ambulance while Mrs MacKinnon followed behind in the family car.
She said: “Half an hour into the journey, paramedics had to stop the ambulance to administer morphine to Craig because he was screaming with pain.
“They were so concerned at his condition that they decided to call out the air ambulance. The idea was to go to Kinlochbervie and wait there for it to land.
“But the request was turned down – it was a completely flat ‘no’ because his condition was not life or limb threatening.”
The journey continued but with Craig’s distress showing no sign of lessening, worried paramedics, who had run out of medication, called out a GP to meet them at Lairg in order to administer more pain relief.
Worse was to come when the bed in the ambulance broke while on the B9176 Struie road and Craig had to be transferred to another unit called out from Alness.
The teenager eventually arrived at Raigmore Hospital at 9pm on the Friday. He was discharged the following Tuesday and is now recovering at home.
Mrs MacKinnon said: “We’re just so mad and annoyed and upset about the whole thing and have decided that this situation cannot go on. It’s quite a worry for people in our area and a lot of folk are talking about it.
“We’ve spoken to our ward councillor George Farlow and he has told us that he and Jean Urquhart (Independent Highlands and Islands MSP) will take up the issue with Nicola Sturgeon in Ullapool next week.”
Councillor Farlow was unavailable for comment earlier this week.
Durness Community Council chairman Kevin Crowe said: “The ambulance staff at Kinlochbervie are committed but poor staffing levels have for years resulted in an unacceptable poor service.
“For some time, health professionals, community councils and Highland Council representatives have been asking that we receive parity with comparable areas, but our demands have fallen on deaf ears.
“It seems that financial concerns take priority over the health needs of people in Durness and Kinlochbervie.”
Kinlochbervie Community Council vice-chairman Gary Sutherland said: “I’m horrified to hear about this. And it just underlines our concerns about single manning. The SAC does not seem to be in any rush to fill the vacant positions.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We are sorry for any discomfort and anxiety that Craig and his family experienced during this transfer. We will review this case and contact the family to feedback the outcome.
“The local management team has used every avenue available to fill vacancies in the roster in Kinlochbervie, where there are significant challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff.
“The station is moving to a roster of four full-time staff and a new member of staff is undergoing training, after which they will deploy to the station to fill the existing vacancy.”
n Nicola Sturgeon is scheduled to address two public meetings at Ullapool Village Hall and at Braemore Hall from 1pm-2.30pm and 3pm-4pm next Tuesday, 2nd September.
