The Highland’s Pre-Immediate Care and Trauma Team, based at Raigmore Hospital, has been saved from funding cuts following a review by NHS Highland.
PICT attends the scenes of major trauma incidents providing advanced care and extends the capabilities of the Scottish Ambulance Service, for those at risk of losing their life and those who require urgent medical attention.
Earlier this year, PICT had come under serious threat of having its service capabilities reduced from seven days per week to four days, following NHS Highland’s decision to withdraw funding.
In March 2022, NHS Highland then decided to extend the PICT team’s funding for an additional six months to ensure it could operate a seven day week service until September 2022.
Edward Mountain MSP has been calling for PICT to be provided with long-term support from NHS Highland to ensure the region is not left without an advanced pre-hospital trauma care service for part of the week. The MSP held constructive talks with the Chief Executive of NHS Highland during the summer.
In correspondence sent to Edward Mountain MSP, who has campaigned for the service to be saved, the Chief Executive of NHS Highland announced:
“I am pleased to confirm that PICT will be supported to be a seven day service. It will be financed by a revenue investment of approximately £100,000 from NHS Highland.
“The service dovetails with the major trauma service, and the taskings come from the Scottish Ambulance Service.”
Edward Mountain is “delighted” with the funding decision and today visited the Highland Pre-Hospital Immediate Care and Trauma Team (PICT), based at Raigmore Hospital.
On his visit the MSP met with Dr Iain Craighead and members of the on-duty team, Dr Adam Archibald and Advanced Practitioner Jo MacCulloch,
Edward Mountain MSP said:
“I was pleased to visit the PICT team today and I commend the life-saving and pioneering service they have developed. This is a world-class team and I am delighted that they will be fully supported to operate a seven-day service.
“PICT forms an essential part of major trauma incident planning in the Highlands and the Scottish Regional Trauma Network. We couldn’t afford to downgrade its capabilities as the next closest service is based in Aberdeen.
“So I am pleased that common sense has prevailed and the campaign to save PICT has been successful.”
Dr Iain Craighead, Highland PICT, said:
"The assurance from NHS Highland that they will fund a 7day pre-hospital immediate care and trauma team is clearly good news. We are grateful to Mr Mountain, his fellow MSP's and the people of the Highlands who so powerfully advocated on our behalf. We look forward to the future with a greater sense of optimism and will no doubt hear the finer details in the coming days. Our wish to have a firmly established immediate care team in the Highlands has come a step closer."
NHS Highland said:
“We were pleased to welcome Edward Mountain MSP to Raigmore Hospital to meet with our PICT team.
"The PICT service in NHS Highland provides prehospital care for a range of medical conditions including trauma care. This service works alongside and in addition to our nationally networked trauma services, our emergency departments, primary care partners and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
"The PICT service has been extremely successful in providing a high level of trauma care in the prehospital setting and is a valued part of trauma care provision in the Highlands.”
