Remote Kintyre patients forced to drive 300 miles for dialysis as local unit stalls
A shortage of trained staff has shut the only dialysis unit in Campbeltown, compelling patients from Kintyre to travel roughly 300 miles to Glasgow three times a week.
Health officials were unable to fill a permanent position at Campbeltown Hospital, causing the sole dialysis unit in Kintyre to close earlier this summer. As a result, roughly four patients from Campbeltown and surrounding rural areas now travel a 300-mile round trip to Glasgow three times weekly, incurring around £300 per patient per day in NHS costs and exposing them to hazardous winter travel on the Rest and Be Thankful road.
Peter Paterson, a local dialysis patient, reports that the long journeys are deteriorating his health, and home dialysis is not feasible due to inadequate water and power supplies at his home. NHS Highland has made four recruitment attempts since September 2025, but candidates have declined because of the remote location. Evan Beswick, chief officer of NHS Highland and Argyll & Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, said no permanent closure decision has been made and a wider review of dialysis services is underway. MSP Jenni Minto plans to raise the matter in the Scottish Parliament, urging an urgent solution.
Why it matters
Patients in remote Scotland face dangerous, costly travel for life-saving treatment due to staff shortages.
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