Six hospitals in Scotland's remote and rural areas will provide an enhanced range of services under an action plan that will secure their futures and provide more specialised healthcare locally.
The action plan was launched today by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon, as she accepted the recommendations of the Remote and Rural Steering Group's report.
'Delivering for Remote and Rural Healthcare: What it Means for You' sets out the enhanced role of Rural General Hospitals - securing health services and giving patients a guaranteed level of care they can expect in their area.
The six hospitals - in Oban, Fort William, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Stornoway and Wick - will all now provide core services, including:
* Outpatient, day case inpatient and rehabilitation services
* Nurse-led care for urgent cases, managing minor injuries and illnesses
* Initial management of broken bones
* Routine and emergency surgery
* Management of acute medical conditions
* Management of patients who have suffered a stroke
* Management of long-term conditions
* Maternity care, led by midwives
* Management of patients with more complicated problems before they are transferred.
Other local and community hospitals in remote and rural areas will also offer more services, including outpatient clinics, day case treatment, midwifery services and treatment for minor injuries and emergencies.
To support the enhanced role for remote and rural hospitals, health professionals will be supported to develop multiple skills so that patients can benefit from treatment by staff with a broad range of expertise - again adding to the security of local health services.
Alongside this, Extended Community Care Teams - based in GP practices - will improve integration and communication by bringing together GPs, community health nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care staff and the voluntary sector.
Part of this work will see a pilot project beginning in August this year, introducing a new type of doctor in our remote and rural communities - one who combines the skills of a general practitioner with specialist training in acute medicine. These doctors will be able to divide their time between their GP surgery and their local Rural General Hospital.
Also part of this framework will be prevention and earlier detection of disease by providing more diagnostic tests locally.
NHS boards will also make better use of technology such as videoconferencing to avoid the need for patients or staff to travel.
Launching the report at a conference in Aviemore, Ms Sturgeon said:
"Delivering and sustaining healthcare to the 20 per cent of the population living in remote and rural communities can present significant challenges.
"The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that access to healthcare is as local as possible to everyone in Scotland, no matter where they live. After years of uncertainty, today's report sets out a blueprint which will secure these vital services for our remote and rural communities.
"It is particularly important that NHS staff providing care in these areas provide integrated services, and take the opportunities to increase their skills and expertise so that as much care as possible can be provided locally.
"It is equally important that patients know what they can expect from community services and Rural General Hospitals, so that their travel and personal disruption is kept to a minimum. Some of these hospitals already provide much of this care, but this action plan will standardise best practice across Scotland.
"I am confident this approach will help deliver a secure, first class service and ensure that everyone in Scotland enjoys equal access to the NHS, no matter where they live."
Today's action plan endorses the recommendations of Delivering for Remote and Rural Healthcare, a framework for sustainable healthcare drawn up by the Remote and Rural Steering Group.
The six Rural General Hospitals are:
* Gilbert Bain Hospital, Lerwick
* Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall
* Western Isles Hospital, Stornoway
* Caithness General Hospital, Wick
* Belford Hospital, Fort William
* Lorn and the Isles Hospital, Oban
A Remote and Rural Healthcare Educational Alliance has been established to ensure that staff have access to remote and rural specific education and training.