The chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service is to travel north to meet Sutherland residents after persistent complaints about patient transport.
Community groups in north-west Sutherland have raised concerns about the service in the Assynt area, which they feel is not adequately meeting their needs.
The community has been supported by MSP Rhoda Grant, who wrote to the ambulance service in August last year after a meeting with constituents about the issue.
Now the ambulance service’s chief executive Pauline Howie has agreed to travel to Lochinver next month to meet with Mrs Grant, Assynt Community Council, patients and their families.
The community has previously had meetings with north representatives of the service about what they see as issues with the patient transport service being run from the central belt and not engaging with their needs.
Patient transport is generally for non-emergency patients to travel for pre-booked appointments in hospitals.
Concern is especially high in the Sutherland area due to the loss of a bus service which would allow patients to make a round-trip to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness on the same day.
Labour MSP Mrs Grant said: “I am delighted that Ms Howie is coming north as the journey will reinforce the community’s perspective.
“What I have leant about people’s view of the service has troubled me, from problems with the system for booking patient transport, to patients reporting that they are ‘totally exhausted’ after some hospital trips due to the wide area covered for picking up people.
“The message from my meeting in the summer was that people did not want to abuse the patient transport system but wanted to ensure they could use it when it was really needed.
“This gives the community a chance to air their views to the person at the top and I’m hoping there will be a positive outcome for everyone involved.”
The ambulance service has previously admitted that there are issues with transport, and have begun trialling a system to reduce cancellations by introducing more effective long-term planning.
A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said: “Pauline Howie looks forward to meeting with Rhoda Grant MSP and members of the community to discuss the patient transport service in Sutherland and is more than willing to listen to concerns and issues raised with a view to making the service as effective as possible for local residents.”
