Members of Caithness Health Action Team met senior NHS Highland leaders at Caithness General Hospital in Wick on Tuesday 3 February 2026 to discuss a wide range of local health priorities and ongoing concerns raised by the community.
The meeting brought together CHAT representatives with Fiona Davies, Chief Executive of NHS Highland, Sarah Compton Bishop, Chair of NHS Highland, and Eddie Gilmartin, Rural General Hospital Manager, continuing a series of regular, constructive discussions between the group and senior health officials.
CHAT works closely with NHS Highland staff both locally and online and described the relationship with medical and administrative teams as professional and positive, with the latest meeting building on previous visits by the Chief Executive and Chair to Wick.
Discussions covered a broad range of issues including palliative and end of life care, jaundice testing and treatment for babies in Caithness, A and E bed capacity at Caithness General Hospital, care at home provision, GP coverage and associated pressures, and medical appointments at Raigmore, with particular emphasis on the need for appointment times that allow reasonable travel.
Maternity services were also discussed, alongside matters arising from calls for an independent review relating to Caithness.
The provision of accommodation for NHS Highland staff considering a move to the area was raised in detail, with CHAT highlighting the difficulties faced by incoming staff in accessing suitable housing and the importance of addressing this barrier to recruitment.
CHAT Secretary Maria Aitken confirmed that the group is well placed to assist, offering local knowledge and support to help staff relocating to Caithness find appropriate accommodation when needed.
Speaking after the meeting, CHAT Chair Ron Gunn said:
“We have been meeting with senior managers of NHS Highland for a number of years and we really appreciate that they take the time to discuss with us a range of health matters and concerns raised by the local community.
“We will continue to work with them, always trying to get the best possible local health services”
CHAT Vice Chair Iain Gregory said:
“It is always a pleasure to meet with Sarah, Fiona, and Eddie, and, whilst in CGH, to get the chance to speak to the hard working professionals who are based in Caithness, and who do so much locally to provide superb care for us all.
“As I said in the meeting, there is a clear need to provide much increased funding to NHS Highland, not only to allow service enhancement, but also to provide dedicated accommodation for staff not only in Caithness, but across the Highlands as well as making it possible to allow improved relocation and remuneration packages to encourage people to move to the county.
“Caithness is of course a wonderful place to live and to bring up a family, but it also provides a tremendous opportunity for those professionals wishing to deliver frontline care in an area where their skills can really make a difference to people’s quality of life.
“There is no doubt that providing medical care in an area such as ours requires a very special kind of person, and the efforts made by our Doctors, Nurses and other workers should be recognised and rewarded.
“CHAT stands ready to provide any and all support which we can give and we look forward to continuing to working closely with NHSH to achieve the very best possible outcomes for patients and staff alike”
