Will ye gang tae the Highlands?

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges and realities of providing healthcare in remote rural areas of northwest Scotland, featuring insights from practice manager Andy Vickerstaff.

We explore the realities of working in a general practice in a remote rural area of northwest Scotland, highlighting the unique geography, distances from hospital care, and the way these factors shape clinical work, patient access, and continuity of care. Andy Vickerstaff, the practice manager for Aultbea and Gairloch Medical Practice, describes how long travel distances profoundly influence decisions about referrals, out-of-hours provision, and the breadth of services the practice must offer - including roles that extend beyond medicine into social support and immediate care. He contrasts their experience during and after the pandemic with more urban practices, noting how telephone consulting became embedded, while video consulting (NHS Near Me) never fully took off locally. Accessibility remains strong in their setting, avoiding the pressures for access to care seen in larger practices and enabling a high degree of continuity, particularly in palliative and end-of-life care. The discussion also examines digital systems, AI, and the need for better national guidance. Andy describes using AI tools like Copilot for administrative tasks - including translating and summarising…

People in this episode

Guest: Andy Vickerstaff

Topics covered

• general practice
• remote healthcare
• rural medicine
• patient access
• continuity of care
• digital systems
• AI in healthcare

Keywords

• Highlands
• Aultbea
• Gairloch
• NHS Near Me
• telephone consulting
• palliative care
• Vision

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Copilot, SCIMP, Vision

Places: Highlands, Scotland, North-West Highlands

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