Half the beds in the Highland Rheumatology Unit in Dingwall are to be given over to acute patients for the winter.
From Monday 5 November, five of the 10 rheumatology beds at the Ross Memorial will be available to general community hospital patients, as well as the general ward. The move comes after a successful piloting of the scheme took place last winter.
NHS Highland says the moves will “ease the pressure on our acute hospitals and increase the capacity for acutely ill people in Highland to access care”.
Georgia Haire, head of community services for NHS Highland’s South and Mid Division, said: “An evaluation of last year’s use of five rheumatology beds for community hospital patients highlighted that the changes were well-managed and the quality of care to all patients was maintained.
“We have learned from the evaluation and are now establishing updated patient transfer criteria and have also rearranged clinical cover requirements to provide greater Allied Healthcare Professional (AHP) support to the service.
“The number of general use beds at Ross Memorial Hospital now stands at 14 and this will remain in place until early spring 2019. This is during a period when our acute hospital capacity is extremely challenging.”
The Minor Injuries Unit at Ross Memorial Hospital will be forced to close as a safety precaution to ensure the increased number of medical beds in the general ward are safely maintained.
A Minor Injuries Unit will be provided at County Community Hospital in Invergordon on weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Out of hours services will be unaffected.
Mrs Haire continued: “Patient safety is paramount and these contingency plans will allow NHS Highland to manage care and services in the safest way.”
The measures will take place from Monday and will continue until Sunday, March 31.