Rural scottish island recruiting nurse for the first time in 10 years | nursing times

A remote island in Scotland is recruiting a community nurse to provide care for its 170-wide population, following a decade-long stretch without resident medical cover. NHS Highland is

recruiting a “rural” community nurse to be responsible for the healthcare needs of residents on Raasay and to be the first clinician on the scene in providing emergency care. > “A 

resident nurse on Raasay will be a huge boost to the > community” >  > Anne Gillies The appeal comes 10 years after the last nurse in post retired and follows a five-year campaign

for the role. The Scottish health board said it was seeking to recruit a “qualified, confident, competent and experienced” nurse who would be in charge of assessing, planning, implementing

and reviewing the healthcare needs of patients and families on the island. The person in post will need to be “adaptable and resourceful”, noted NHS Highland, stressing that the successful

candidate will be working without a hospital or GP at hand. It said it hoped the opening would appeal to candidates looking for “a real shift in lifestyle” and added that they were open to

taking on more than one nurse. The Scottish health board also noted that the professional challenges of working predominantly on their own, along with the remote location could present some

challenges to everyday life, including transport. However, NHS Highland emphasised that for the community of Raasay the presence of residence nurse cover is “greatly anticipated and will

bring reassurance”. > “We’re all very happy at the prospect of having a nursing > presence on the island again” >  > Anne Gillies The last resident nurse on Raasay retired a

decade ago and was replaced by three nurses from Portee, who covered the island on a rota basis. An earlier attempt to fill the post was made in 2015 but was unsuccessful. District manager

at NHS Skye Lochalsh and Wester Ross as part of the health board, Kate Earnshaw, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for a suitably qualified and experienced nurse to join the community

nursing team and make a real difference to healthcare provision on Raasay. “We hope this opening will appeal to candidates looking for a real shift in lifestyle,” she said. For those

applying to the role, there is an opportunity to rent accommodation on Raasay due to the on-call requirement of the post. “Raasay is a wonderful place to live and work and we look forward to

attracting lots of applications,” said Ms Earnshaw. Chair of the Raasay Community Council, Anne Gillies, said: “A resident nurse on Raasay will be a huge boost to the community. “It will

make an enormous difference, particularly to families with young children and our elderly population,” she said. “We’re all very happy at the prospect of having a nursing presence on the

island again,” she added.