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Latest Updates
Public Holiday – Monday 10 August 2026
Monday 10 August is a Public Holiday for NHS Orkney. All GP surgeries will be closed on the Public Holiday, but in an emergency you can contact a GP in the same way as routine evening/weekend cover.
Read more detailsNew MenB Vaccine programme
Following recent outbreaks of meningitis in the UK, the MenB vaccine is being offered to some older teenagers and students under 25 who are at higher risk of exposure to meningococcal group B bacteria. This time-limited programme will be offered to some older teenagers and some new college and university students who are at higher risk of exposure to meningococcal group B bacteria.
Read more details
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Latest News
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Improving access to island diagnostics Point-of-care testing trialled by paramedics in Orkney and Shetland
Paramedics in Orkney and Shetland are to be equipped with portable diagnostic devices under a new pilot aimed at cutting unnecessary hospital journeys and helping more islanders receive safe care at home. Project SOUND will see point-of-care testing technology introduced into Orkney and Shetland, allowing paramedics to carry out a range of rapid tests, that would traditionally require hospital admission, to support the assessment of a range of common and serious health conditions closer to the patient. Currently, up to 77% of ambulance callouts in the islands result in a hospital transfer, including 86% of patients with chest pain and 77% of those with breathing difficulties. Many of these patients could be safely treated and monitored at home if paramedics had faster…
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Public Holiday – Monday 10 August 2026
Monday 10 August is a Public Holiday for NHS Orkney. All GP surgeries will be closed on the Public Holiday, but in an emergency you can contact a GP in the same way as routine evening/weekend cover. If you are ill when your practice is closed and can’t wait until it reopens, you should call NHS 24 on 111. In an emergency you should dial 999. You can find our public holiday dates on the link here: Public Holidays – NHS Orkney Community Pharmacy Arrangements on the Public Holiday on Monday 10 August:
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Charities fund Scotland-wide testing project to identify inherited cancer risk in people with Westray and Whalsay ancestry
A landmark charity-funded project will offer genetic testing to thousands of people with ancestral links to Westray in Orkney and Whalsay in Shetland, helping identify those who have a higher inherited risk of developing certain cancers. Eight charities are funding the two-year project, which will cost more than £365,000. The project will be led by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the NHS North of Scotland Genetics Services based in NHS Grampian, and will offer testing for the specific BRCA gene variants which are more common in people with Westray and Whalsay ancestry. The project will be funded by…