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NHS Highland offers patients surgery in other locations to reduce waiting times


By Imogen James

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NHS H
NHS H

NHS Highland is offering its patients surgery elsewhere in a bid to reduce waiting times for procedures.

The organisation is facing a large backlog of high priority cancer and urgent operations that built up as a result of the Covid pandemic, meaning that waiting times for surgery at Raigmore Hospital are longer than NHS Highland want them to be.

Patients will now be given the choice of attending Caithness General Hospital, Belford Hospital and Lorn and Islands Hospital.

Dr Boyd Peters, medical director for NHS Highland, said: “We have already been offering newly referred patients a choice of hospital for their surgical procedure and will now be writing to patients who are already waiting for a procedure at Raigmore to also offer them that same opportunity.

“All of our hospitals offer the same high levels of care and treatment for these procedures, and some will have much shorter waiting times than Raigmore.

“We know some people will have concerns about travelling for surgery but I would like to reassure everyone that a clinical assessment will take place before any change of hospital. We will also offer information about our travel expenses policy, to help with the costs of travel and accommodation.”

The option is not available to all specialties and procedures as some will need to be carried out at Raigmore Hospital.


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