Healthcare Access and Isolation 

With a population of just under 2,000 people, Harris relies on 2 GP surgeries, one in Tarbet and one in Leverburgh, for all the island’s primary care. While the standard of care is very good across the two surgeries, neither practice has an A&E department and there is no hospital. If a patient requires urgent treatment, they must travel up to 1.5 hours by road to the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway. If a patient requires specialist treatment, they often must travel as far as Inverness or even further afield as Stornoway’s Hospital is not equipped for all specialities. Access to secondary care is mostly dependent on ferries and flights which are frequently affected by weather related cancellations and delays. So, whilst the healthcare on Harris is not bad, it is good care that is delivered in a very difficult environment.  

The Scottish Executive’s report (2002) on the availability of services in rural Scotland recognises “poor access to public services as one of the main causes of social exclusion for rural areas.  The loss of local health services can have a significant knock-on effect to the sustainability of fragile local communities and recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in remote and rural areas presents challenges.” 

The Isle of Harris covers an area of 841km2 yet has a dispersed population. Of a population of 1916 people, around 500 are located in the main settlement of Tarbet and another 200 are located in Leverburgh, in the South of Harris. This means that the rest of the island’s population are spread across many small villages and settlements. “Issues impacting on rural communities are  magnified by the remoteness of the community.” (Rural Access Action Team, The National Framework for Service Change in NHS Scotland: Final Report, Scottish Executive Health Directorate, May 2005, )