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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…
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National Waiting List Validation – Patients Waiting Over 10 Weeks
From next week, Monday 27 July, patients (who are over 16 years old) who have been waiting over 10 weeks for an outpatient or inpatient appointment or who are a return patient waiting past their recall date and who do not currently have an appointment in the following specialities will be contacted by The National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) on 0345 646 0565: Patients with a mobile number will receive a text message first. If no response is received from the text message, the NECU team will follow-up with phone calls. Patients who only have a landline number, registered with…
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Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) publishes inspection report on acute hospital services at The Balfour highlighting compassionate patient care, strong teamwork, supportive leadership and a positive culture across NHS Orkney
The unannounced inspection, undertaken in March 2026, examined care within the Emergency Department, Inpatients 1 and Inpatients 2 wards. Inspectors identified eight areas of good practice and recognised the commitment of staff in delivering safe, effective and person-centred care despite the challenges faced by remote and rural health services. Highlights include: The inspection identified seven requirements relating to governance processes, training compliance, adverse event review timescales, protected leadership time and the further embedding of new workforce planning systems. NHS Orkney has agreed an action plan and work is already underway in these areas. The report notes ongoing improvement work including…
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Funding confirmed to keep MRI scanner at The Balfour
NHS Orkney has received confirmation from the Scottish Government of recurring annual funding to keep the MRI scanner at The Balfour and to continue providing MRI scanning locally in Orkney. The Balfour has hosted an on-site MRI service, using a relocatable scanner, since July 2025. This latest confirmation extends funding on a recurring basis, replacing an earlier award that covered only the first quarter of this financial year. The service allows the majority of patients to be scanned locally each year rather than travelling to Aberdeen and supports NHS Orkney’s work towards the national six-week standard for diagnostic tests. Use…
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Three new Non-Executive Members to join NHS Orkney
Following a very successful recruitment campaign, three new Non-Executive Members will join the board of NHS Orkney. Lynne Spence, Hayley Green and Michael Morrison will join the board later this month. Each of whom are already well-known faces to many across Orkney and it’s a real asset to have board members who are familiar with the community and local health board. Davie Campbell, Chair of NHS Orkney said: “It’s great to announce these three new Non-Executive Members, which stabilises our organisation with a complete and substantive Board. They are very familiar with the local landscape and challenges we face in…
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NHS Orkney welcomes the publication of the unannounced Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) inspection of maternity services at The Balfour undertaken in March 26
The report recognises a number of significant strengths within the maternity service. Inspectors observed staff providing compassionate, person-centred and family-focused care, with positive feedback from women and families who said they felt involved, listened to and well supported throughout their care journey. Strong teamworking, supportive leadership and a positive culture were also highlighted, alongside examples of innovation, such as improved communication pathways and local services designed to reduce travel for families. Encouragingly the inspection identified 12 areas of good practice, reflecting the commitment, professionalism and dedication of the maternity team in delivering high-quality care to women, babies and families across Orkney.…
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New 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. Meningococcal disease is a rare but dangerous bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and sepsis. Both of these illnesses can be life-threatening if not treated quickly. Meningococcal bacteria can spread through close contact with someone who has…
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Waiting Well – ESSENCE-D Questionnaire
In the coming weeks NHS Orkney will be contacting, via letter, parents and guardians of children waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment inviting them to take part in a Scottish Government funded project to improve and support those waiting for an assessment. The project involves completing a questionnaire to help build a fuller picture of the child’s strengths and requirements. Following completion, families will be directed to an online resource which provides access to local and national support, information and practical advice. This support is designed to help families access the right information at the right time, rather than waiting until after an assessment. …
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GP Practices System Upgrades – Emergency Appointments Only
From next week, week commencing 20 June, we will begin our system upgrades to all GP Practices across Orkney. This programme of upgrades will take place across summer with each practice being affected for a minimum of two days. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with the timetable for your practice in the notice below. These times may be subject to change and we’ll do our best to ensure they are updated and are as accurate as possible. This programme is being rolled out across NHS Scotland, the upgrades are designed to modernise our primary care IT systems, improving performance and…
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Public Service Reform Update
Public Service Reform is a national priority aimed at ensuring every pound of public sector funding is used effectively and that services are sustainable well into the future. In Orkney, the Council, NHS Orkney and Integration Joint Board (IJB) have developed a local approach, which was agreed upon and published last December, titled ‘A Routemap to (Public Service) Reform’. The Scottish Government have since endorsed this document and on Monday 8 June, senior management, Board Members and Elected Members from OIC, NHSO and IJB met at the St Magnus Centre in Kirkwall for the first time together to focus on…