The video link allows specialists to review patient care

A video conferencing system has been installed in two hospitals to improve the care of kidney patients in the far north of Scotland.

The link connects the main renal unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness with Caithness General Hospital in Wick.

NHS Highland said the initiative should help reduce waiting times and travelling for patients.

Consultant Dr Robert Peel said an increasing number of patients from Caithness required dialysis treatment.

Specialists from Raigmore Hospital will continue to hold monthly clinics at the hospital in Wick to assess patients receiving dialysis treatment.

It should be possible for more outpatients to be seen locally during the monthly clinics Dr Robert Peel NHS Highland

But every other month, these reviews will take place via the video link, using mobile units which can be placed alongside the dialysis stations.

The use of the technology means fewer outpatients from the Caithness area will have to make the 200-mile round trip for appointments in Inverness, according to the health board.

It will also allow specialists to see more patients in the available time, NHS Highland said.

Dr Peel, a renal consultant at NHS Highland, said the initiative would help reduce pressure on clinics in Caithness for kidney patients.

“It should be possible for more outpatients to be seen locally during the monthly clinics, with shorter waiting times for appointments,” he said.

A regular live video link will also enable nurses in Wick to discuss patients’ treatment with specialists in Raigmore.

Read more about the live video link.