Dr Shallcross speech

[bagpuss]

Anyone see this part of Donalsin's diary?

If the hospital were to be downgraded it would be a terrible shame to lose the gynae team, the surgical team and A&E

Please read between the lines on this post

[Kenn]

Yes, read the article with great interest, surely they should be upgrading and not downgrading the hospital facilites in the county.
I can't get my head round the fact that the authorities think that it is cheaper to send folk to Raigmore, Aberdeen,Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In a genuine emergency having a local local hospital is critical as even with the use of a helicopter to transfer patients the time delay could be too great and the cost must be huge.
There are times when false economies could endanger the life of many.

[Incognit0]

Dr Shallcross no longer works at the hospital.

[Kenn]

I am aware that he has taken a new posting but at least he had the courage to bring the matter to our attention.

[DMFB]

I await the ripples from the pebble that has been dropped in the water. I Cana only say that the staff who are working in the hospital deliver an excellent service from what I have received.

[cptdodger]

I have just spoken to Dr Shallcross's secretary, and was told he was on holiday, and had not left Caithness General ? If I have been lied to, there are going to be problems.

[Eilanboy]

I have just spoken to Dr Shallcross's secretary, and was told he was on holiday, and had not left Caithness General ? If I have been lied to, there are going to be problems.

Don,t know if he has actually left yet but he is definately going very soon.Not sure that being guest of honour at the crowning ceremony was the best place to air this matter.

[cptdodger]

Neither do I. In fact the only reason my wife agreed to move to Caithness was because Dr Shallcross was the closest thing Caithness General had to a Gastroenterologist. Without him being there, or, the mere mention of extreme financial pressure facing health boards to reduce costs, which in laymans terms means they might not replace him, does not bode well. It will in fact mean a 220 mile round trip to Raigmore. Time to move I think.

[catran]

Your wife only agreed to move to Caithness because Dr Shallcross was the closest thing Caithness General Hospital had to a Gastroenterologist, was there not one where you came from?

[cptdodger]

Well obviously, more than one actually, I lived in a city which has a major training hospital. Unfortunately for me, it was either moving here or losing the job I had then. Now, because, he knew enough about my wife's condition, (which thankfully is rare) we made the decision to move here. Had there not been a doctor that knew enough about her condition here, then we would not have moved, and I would have looked for another job - obviously.

[cptdodger]

And to be perfectly honest with you Catran, if I were you, I would be slightly more concerned about what was happening to the only hospital you have within 120 odd miles, than the decision we took to move here.

[bagpuss]

The good doctor is a man of amazing talents: neurologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, urologist and etc. He is in fact a general medical consultant- not a specialist.

CGH is already downgraded- because if the people living close by were nearer Raigmore, they would be more likely to see a specialist who knows more about their condition.

The departments where there are those experts at hand are obstetrics and gynaecology (the departments that the county has fought to retain) and general surgery- which deals in those complaints not handled by a 'specialist'

If I had a heart condition, and lived in Caithness I'd be looking to get referred to a cardiologist- Raigmore or further south

[DMFB]

Time will tell but my money is on the fact that the hospital will survive.I am also sure that No one will need to make such drastic decisions as uplrooting their family to move closer to another hospital.I am sure tho that the doubters amongst us will not be convinced otherwise but again time will tell.

[cptdodger]

I'm sure the hospital will survive, however I do not consider it a drastic decision to move nearer than 120 miles to a hospital for my wife to see a relevant Doctor / Consultant. There is no cure for her condition, but it has to be managed and managed properly, which up until now Dr Shallcross was doing. My wife's health is more important than location.

[bagpuss]

I know of lots of people who have left the county because of the need to be closer to specialist medical facilities- and that number includes a number of doctors and other health care providers. Back in the 1980's the Bignold was little more than a cottage hospital- CGH was a step up from this as it does have a bigger surgical team.

However, there are quite a number of minor procedures that are not- and haven't been offered at CGH- take for example getting wisdom teeth out under general anaesthetic? The reason? the anaesthetists and consultants are based at Raigmore. The consultants do come north to see cases- but the actual work is done at the big central hospital.

One presumes that Dr Shallcross is moving to Grays hospital in Elgin? Another hospital which has been subject to rumours of closure or downgrading

[DMFB]

What about the replacement consultant? I am sure there will be one will there no? Or any of the remaining consultants. Are there not a few new ones now? There were new faces last time I was a patient.

[bagpuss]

CGH is a teaching hospital for Aberdeen University- hence there will always be some senior members of staff. Furthermore the presence of a CT scanner and visits from consultants doesn't suggest drastic downgrading as a result of Dr Shallcross' move

[DMFB]

I didn't realise it was a teaching hospital for Aberdeen University I would agree that it looks unlikely to be downgraded time will tell.

[manloveswife]

If it helps clear anything up..........

My wife has been a patient of Tim Shallcross, he had told us he was leaving this summer and as we understand it he has now left, in fact we had to get results of tests forwarded to our doctors as he had gone without dealing with them.

We have been told that the next clinics apparently not until mid September at earliest, then locum cover, someone is taking the post for three months in October. After that its unknown.

I don't know how accurate this actually is or what affect it will have on each different type of patient when considering their needs, but that is what we were told by his secratery when chasing results up so it should be near the truth.