Annual Review presentation to be held in Barra In August

Members of the public are being invited to attend a special NHS Western Isles Annual Review meeting in Barra in August.

The meeting, which will be attended by Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe FitzPatrick, gives members of the public the opportunity to hear about the Health Board’s achievements and challenges, as well as the chance to hear about progress, proposals and options for healthcare development in Barra.

The meeting will be chaired by Health Board Chairman, Ian Burgess, and will be held on August 28 from 1pm until 2.30pm in Castlebay Community Hall.

The meeting covers the year 2017/18, and follows on from the first stage of the Annual Review for that year, held in Stornoway in January 2019. At that time, a commitment was made to hold the Annual Review public session in Barra at a later date.

Achievements during that year included a good performance against infection control standards, with an 89 per cent reduction in cases of C Difficile infection in those aged 65 and over since 2007, and a 100 per cent reduction in cases of MRSA over the same period.

Staff achieved a consistent performance of above 95 per cent for the four hour unscheduled (unplanned) care target, with performance usually around 98 per cent to 100 per cent. In terms of cancer waiting times, against the 31 day cancer access standard, NHS Western Isles achieved a performance of 100 per cent. NHS Western Isles also achieved its financial targets for 2017/18.

Mr Burgess stated: “We look forward to attending Barra to hold our Annual Review public session. We would encourage members of the public to attend to hear about our achievements and challenges over the year 2017/18. The session also gives us the opportunity to discuss future healthcare options for Barra and to listen to members of the local community there about their priorities and experiences.”

Those who would like to attend are asked to register by emailing wi-hb.annual-review@nhs.net or phoning Michelle McPhail on 01851 708044.