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Festive Public Holiday Closures 2025
All GP and Dental surgeries will be closed on the festive Public Holidays – Thursday 25 and Friday 26 December 2025 and Thursday 1 and Friday 2 January 2026. 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. For any medical emergencies you should still call 999. Many local surgeries have their own facebook/website pages which you can follow to keep you up to date of opening and closing times over…
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Anti-Spiking Campaign
In partnership with the new Garden Square, the Orkney Alcohol and Drugs partnership (ADP) have launched an Anti-Spiking Campaign locally as we head into the festive period. This campaign is all about raising awareness and keeping everyone safe from the dangers of spiking here in Orkney. Some top tips will be shared via our social media channels throughout this month and comments from partners across the field of drugs and alcohol. ADP Chair, Stephen Brown stated “The evidence of spiking in Orkney is very limited and this campaign is to promote safer measures that people can take to protect themselves.…
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Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney seek approval on Public Sector Reform proposals
Orkney’s two largest organisations to consider how their services can work more closely together to benefit the public Next week, Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney will bring forward joint proposals to explore how their services can work more closely together. This follows months of constructive discussions between the two largest organisations in Orkney, aimed at reducing duplication and finding more efficient ways of working. The goal is to make services sustainable, in the face of a combined annual deficit of over £26 million. The proposals, titled “A Routemap to Reform,” are part of a wider push across Scotland to…
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New TV’s and ‘clickers’ following generous donation to NHS Orkney
A donation of eight new TVs has been made to NHS Orkney following a collection at the late, Jimmy Millar’s funeral. Jimmy Millar, husband of Brenda Millar and Dad to NHS Orkney’s Patient Experience Officer, Julie Tait sadly passed away earlier this year. Before passing, Mr Millar spent some time in the Macmillan ward where he loved to watch TV. Brenda said: “Jimmy loved watching TV, especially football and a good cowboy film. However, when he was admitted to The Balfour he struggled to work ‘the clicker’ (his name for the TV remote) and there were limited channels available. Although all…
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Free Admission for public to attend screening of acclaimed Suicide Prevention Film
The Orkney Suicide Prevention Taskforce would like to welcome the public in Orkney to attend one of two screenings of The Low Road at the Pickaquoy Centre on Wednesday 19 November 2025. After the suicide of her best friend at university, a guilt-ridden and heart-broken young woman hikes Scotland’s West Highland Way to find salvation. The film tells the story of how she deals with grief and misogyny and highlights the mental health crisis experienced by some young adults. The screenings are free for the public to attend and is part of ongoing local work to break the stigma around…
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National Waiting List Validation – Patients Waiting Over 10 Weeks
From next week, Monday 3 November 2025, 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 receive a phone call from The National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) on 0345 646 0565: The phone call will be from a member of the NECU team who will take patients through a short survey asking if patients still need their appointment, followed by a few questions to confirm…
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Winter Flu Vaccines – Drop-In Clinic – Dounby Surgery
NHS Orkney Vaccination service will be offering a drop in FLU vaccination clinic at the Dounby Surgery on Tuesday 21 October from 10am – 12pm. Eligible individuals are welcome to attend without an appointment. This includes: If you already have an appointment at The Balfour, don’t worry—we can cancel it for you if you attend this drop-in clinic For any queries, please contact the Vaccination Service on 0300 303 5313 or for further information go to NHS Inform Flu Vaccine.
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Phone System Testing
On Thursday 9 October from 12pm – 2pm there will be a resilience test on the phone system used at The Balfour. During this short period, you may experience disruption if calling The Balfour (for example calls dropping out), we hope any disruption will be kept to a minimum and we’d like to thank you for your patience while the testing takes place. During this time if your call is urgent and cannot wait until after 2pm and you need to contact the Balfour Switchboard, please use the following number 07795453757.
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Near Me Appointments
Since early 2025, NHS Orkney and NHS Grampian have been working together to enable more Orkney residents to see consultants in Aberdeen via Near Me, rather than travelling for in-person appointments. Near Me is a secure video consulting service that enables people to attend appointments from wherever is convenient to them. All you need is a device for making video calls like a smartphone, tablet or computer and an internet connection. John Daniels, Head of Primary Care at Orkney Health and Care said: “We have listened to the views and opinions of our community and heard that too many times…
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Service for Baby Loss Awareness Week 2025 (BLAW)
NHS Orkney in partnership with Orkney SANDs will once again be hosting a “Wave of Light” service as part of Baby Loss Awareness Week. Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9 – 15 October each year and is a time for everyone in the baby loss community and beyond to come together, to remember much-loved and missed babies, and raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss. Pregnancy and baby loss is often a taboo subject. You can help to break the silence around baby loss by talking to your friends, family, and colleagues about Baby Loss Awareness Week and by…
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Flu Vaccine Clinics for Children aged between 2 and 5 years old
The flu vaccine is given as a nasal (nose) spray, it is quick, easy, and painless. For those children aged between 2 and 5 years old (not in school) and registered with Stromness Surgery or on the ferry linked isles, your practices will be in touch with you directly regarding flu vaccines. For children registered with Skerryvore, Heilendi, Dounby or Daisy Villa Practices, from next Friday, 3October, we will be offering drop-in flu clinics at The Balfour for all those children aged between 2 and 5 years old (not already in school). The clinic dates will be offered on the…
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Public Holiday – Monday 29 September 2025
Monday 29 September 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 https://www.ohb.scot.nhs.uk/about-us/public-holidays/ You can also find more helpful tips on NHS Inform. Community Pharmacy Arrangements on the Public Holiday on Monday 29 September: