A 44-year-old woman who suffered a near-fatal anaphylactic shock had her life saved by staff at a Skye hospital just days before it closed its out-of-hours emergency unit due to a staffing crisis – sparking fears that lives could be lost.
Rosie McDade, 43, fell seriously ill after eating prawns at home in Portree with her partner, 44-year-old Donnie Nicolson.
Mr Nicolson rushed her to Portree Hospital where he said she received life-saving treatment.
The couple believe the outcome may have been tragically different had she had suffered the anaphylactic shock after Boxing Day, when the out-of-hours urgent care centre and minor injuries unit closed.
Just 15 minutes after Miss McDade ate prawns at home last Friday evening, she was struggling to breathe, was vomiting and even had difficulty standing upright.
Mr Nicolson said the care she got at hospital was excellent and the staff quickly stabilised her condition.
He said: “Rosie needed adrenaline – the delaying of this can result in deterioration and death. The treatment that Rosie received within 20 minutes of experiencing symptoms saved her life.
“If this had happened just a week later – when we believe the same level of care would not be available in Portree – the outcome may have been very different.”
Mr Nicolson hit out at NHS Highland for closing the out-of-hours unit, saying: “Our fear is that others will not be so lucky. Once the basic lifesaving capability has been removed from Portree hospital, lives will be lost.”
In September, again due to staffing shortages, emergency care was reduced and nurses had to cook patients’ meals.
Skye MSP Kate Forbes said: “The importance of accessible and reliable healthcare in all parts of Skye is demonstrated by this story.
“To deliver that, there must be a robust and sustainable plan with reinforced medical teams in Portree Hospital.
“I’ve said it before in the Scottish Parliament, in meetings and in the press, and I will say it again: Portree Hospital must have emergency and out of hours care. This is non-negotiable.”
And Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said: “This isn’t a huge surprise. It was going to reach crisis point at this time of year but really what they need is more staff.
“The whole issue is a national problem and this is something that happened when Nicola Sturgeon was health minister. The blame for this, lands squarely at her door.”
NHS Highland said it was unable to comment on individual cases.
But a spokeswoman added that a staffing crisis at the hospital had resulted in it temporarily suspending the out of hours urgent care centre and minor injuries unit.
She said this had been prompted by three resignations and that interviews took place at the end of November, but did not result in any appointments.
The spokeswoman added: “Whilst we appreciate this will not be popular, it was felt that there is a greater risk of clinical error if Portree patients are managed remotely without a senior practitioner on site.
“NHS Highland would like to assure the public that this decision was not taken lightly.
“There is no change to accessing emergency services and people should dial 999 if they experience a medical emergency and the Scottish Ambulance Service will respond as appropriate.”
The spokesman said that recruitment efforts to attract more advanced nurse practitioners at Portree are ongoing, with posts being re-advertised and interviews being held from Monday, January 8.