"Patient Travel Expenses"

I am very sorry to hear of the difficulty you recently experiences whilst trying to source reasonably priced accommodation during the busy summer period.

The legal requirement of NHS Western Isles is to provide care and services for the Western Isles and as a Board we aim wherever possible to provide the services within the Western Isles and as close to people’s homes as is safe, effective and practicable.

The normal expectation is that where the parent board for any given population can safely and effectively provide services for their population, they should do so. However, given the remote and rural geography of the Western Isles, patients may have to travel extensive distances in order to receive specialist diagnostics, care or treatment.

Despite the wide and expanding range of quality services available with the Western isles, the increasing specialisation in medicine and continuing advances in sophisticated equipment and technology have resulted in some services only being available in specialist and large hospitals, hence a need to travel to major population centres in Scotland and in exceptional circumstances out with Scotland to access these services.

The Highland and Islands Travel Scheme Policy sets out NHS Western Isles objectives and responsibilities in relation to patient / escort travel, clarifying constraints and limits in relation to subsidy. It is based on Scottish Government guidance contained within MEL(1996)70 “Patients’ Travelling Expenses Schemes” and The National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2003.

Patient Travel Schemes do not reimburse patients for the full cost of travelling to attend an appointment but provide a contribution towards the cost. At £60 per person or £120 for 2 people sharing a room, NHS Western Isles are in line with other Board's Highland and Island Travel scheme accommodation contribution.

For patients travelling to Raigmore and may have to stay overnight, if the patient rings the number on their appointment letter the ward clerk can normally book the patient into Kyle Court, the residences at Raigmore. The charge for this comes directly to the Health Board.

I hope that should you have to make any future visits to Raigmore, if you wish you will be able to make use of the Kyle Court accommodation, which is available for families and their carers.

Debbie Bozkurt
Director of Finance and Procurement/ Chief Finance Officer of the Integrated Joint Board