The extensive cuts and underfunding found throughout the NHS have drastically affected the remote Scottish island of Barra. The only hospital on the island is St Brendan’s, located in Castlebay, which was declared “completely unacceptable” by NHS Western Isles in 2017. The facility hosts no specialised consultants or equipment, not even an X-ray machine, and is ran by a small rotating team of GP’s.

Staff retention is a recurring problem with NHS Western Isles struggling to keep trained doctors on location for long. On top of this already limited set up the small facility is shared with a council care home further limiting its use.

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Access to other health services is incredibly limited, the nearest hospital providing speciality care is in Stornoway, several hours by car and often restricted in poor weather. In emergency situations patients often must wait hours until an air ambulance can arrive, in the meantime being kept alive with incredibly limited resources in the outdated St Brendan’s. Overall Barra is crying out for a more centralised local hospital that can better meet the needs of the island.