LOCAL NEWS JULY 22

Urgent care plans “illogical” say Skye health care group

The chair of SOS-NHS Skye has hit out the local health authority’s vision for urgent care in the the north of Skye as lacking clarity and illogical.

On Friday, NHS Highland announced an extension to the hours of the urgent care centre at Portree Hospital.

Urgent care Urgent care is now available by appointment only between 18.30pm – 23.59pm on Friday and between 08.30am – 23.59pm on Saturday, Sundays and public holidays.

However, reacting to the changes, a spokesperson for SOS-NHS Skye said the The requirement to call 111 before attending Portree Hospital was nonsensical and contended that people could face a wait of up to two hours for a call to NHS 24 to be answered.

The group added that there is nothing clear or logical about the proposals for an urgent care service in Portree.

They argue that three months on from requesting an answer to the most basic of questions: where do people go for urgent care in Portree on weekdays between 8am and 6.30pm, we have yet to receive an answer and no information is provided on the hospital website.

Louise Bussell, NHS Highland’s Nurse Director, said: “This is a significant step towards delivering one of the recommendations outlined in Sir Lewis Ritchie’s report.

“We will continue to keep the community updated on developments as we work to ensure the urgent care centre is open seven-days-a-week.”

The new model for 24/7 urgent care access will be available from Friday, 16th August 2024 .

NHS Highland has stated that anyone requiring urgent care should always call NHS 24 on 111 before attending the urgent care centre. And that patients may be asked to contact 111 to arrange an appointment if appropriate.

The number 999 should always be called in the case of an emergency.

Flight resume at Inverness Airport following fault

Flights have resumed this afternoon from Inverness airport following the resolution of a technical issue with air traffic control equipment.

The management of the airport as apologise for any inconvenience caused by the delay to flight from the Highland capital airport earlier today.

Scots Language Awards open for nominations

Nominations have opened for this year’s Scots Language Awards.

Scotland’s traditional culture, music and arts organisation Hands Up For Trad is calling on the public to put forward their Scots language champions for national recognition..

The awards celebrate the Scots leid in daily life, education, business, arts and culture.

The Scots Language Awards were launched in 2019 to recognise this and the rich culture that is intrinsically linked to the language.

Nominations opened from today until Sunday 4th August. Scots speakers and supporters have two weeks to suggest worthy recipients in 12 categories which showcase the very best of Scots language and culture.

The award ceremony take place at Cumnock Town Hall on Saturday 14th September as it travels to Ayrshire for the first time this year.

Skye and Shiel’s cup dreams end in semi-finals

Holders Skye and Kinlochshiel’s hopes of reaching the Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup were ended on Sunday as Badenoch and Lochaber sealed their places in the final of the showpiece with wins in Invergarry on Sunday

Rhianna Kirk scored twice and Abby MacLean was also on target for Skye, but the islanders lost out 4-3 to a Kirsty Deans inspired Badenoch side in the first of the two semi-finals.

Lorna MacRae scored for Shiel but their cup dreams were also ended as goals from Natalie MacDonald and Missy Howie earned Lochaber a 2-1 win.

In the Premiership, goals from Dan MacDonald, Archie Millar and Jamie Gillies propelled Skye to a 3-1 home win against Glenurquhart to help them leapfrog Kinlochshiel into fourth.

In North Division 1, Shiel’s seconds were held to a 3-3 draw away to Fort William, while Skye lost ground in title race suffering a 3-1 loss to Strathglass on the road.

Meanwhile, in football, it a was double for Lochaber in the Ross Cup semi-finals as Fort William defeated Portree Juniors 3-1 and Mallaig saw off North West Skye 4-2 to set up a local derby in the final.

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