Appointment of locum psychiatrist from outwith Caithness ‘not an ideal situation’ says Ron Gunn

CHAT Chairman, Ron Gunn, has been quoted in the online John O’Groat Journal today, saying that “the appointment of a locum consultant psychiatrist from outwith the county is “not an ideal situation”.

Ron said that the previous Locum Consultant did not have her contract renewed, something he found hard to understand, especially as she had been based locally. He made it clear that it is essential to have “face to face” appointments for patients who have mental health issues, and he also spoke of the lengthy queues for appointments.

There is no doubt that people who are living with such conditions must have access to the appropriate treatment, and it needs to be available quickly.

Separately, there was a slot on Moray Firth Radio today discussing the very high number of “Concern for Welfare” Incidents which Police Scotland have attended at CGH in the years 2018 to 2022. Starting in 2018 and ending in 2022 the numbers are 4 / 5 / 6 /7 /14 so a very noticeable increase – 3.5 times the number in 2022 compared to 2018.

Similar incidents occurring on the Kessock Bridge rose from an already deeply concerning 78 in 2018, to a horrifying 203 in 2022.

There are several categories of data, obtained via FOI requests, but, as another example, police officers in Highlands and Islands Division attended no less than 601 calls in this category in December 2022 alone. The officers do a superb job, but they are now picking up such “distress calls” as there is nobody else to do so. This should not be the case.

If we needed evidence that a Mental Health crisis exists, surely this is it? Each of those statistics represents a person – a person in dire straits and in need of medical help – and ongoing support.

It is essential that we have the staff – and the facilities – in place to make sure that help can be given swiftly and face to face.

CHAT will continue to campaign and to highlight these concerns, and we can only hope that adequate funding can be found to greatly strengthen the MH teams – they need the money and they need our support.