Address
Broadford Midwifery Unit
Dr MacKinnon Memorial Hospital
Broadford
Skye
IV49 9AA
Tel: 01471 822491 (switchboard)
The Dr MacKinnon Memorial Hospital provides in-patient care for the population of Skye and Lochalsh. The Skye Bridge is 9 miles from the hospital and this links the populations of Skye and Lochalsh, with a resident population of 13,000, doubling or trebling in the summer.
Referral Unit
Raigmore, Inverness. Midwife will contact Raigmore Consultant who will organise transfer.
Description
- The Broadford has 25 beds serving the general population.
- There is a rural GP on call for the midwifery team.
- There is a 2 bedded midwifery area for labouring women, one room has a resuscitaire.
- Midwifery staff are not based in the hospital unless they have a patient in labour.
- Access to the unit is through the main entrance and the unit is situated on the ground floor. Birth rate approx 36 per annum.
Method of Transport
Road
By road it is approx 2 ½ hours from Inverness.
For Fort William you follow the A87 over the Skye Bridge to Broadford.
Distances from:
- Inverness, 110 miles
- Aberdeen, 192 miles
- Dundee, 190 miles
- Glasgow, 190 miles
Air
By air the nearest landing site is Ashaig air strip 3 miles from the hospital. The ruway is too short for the King Air but the helicopter lands here.
There are 2 ambulances crew are based in Skye and 1 crew in Lochalsh.
In the past, the helicopter could land at the hospital but the helipad is not currently in use. (It was very weather dependant and the incubator had to be pulled up a steep slope to the hospital.)
Sea
Ferry travel is not recommended by the staff
The Maternity Unit
The unit has two good sized delivery rooms. One room has a resuscitaire.
There are NO piped gases, but both oxygen and air cylinders are available.
The room is warm with ample power sockets.
Staff and Training
- The Midwifery Team comprises of 6.4 WTE midwives.
- The unit itself is not staffed.
- The midwifery team are based throughout the area Kyle, Portree, Broadford and Carbust. There is also links with Wester Ross
Equipment
- There is a Resuscitaire (Cosycot) with neopuff attachment,
- supply of Murphy’s ETT (sizes 2.5-4)
- umbilical lines (sizes 3.5-5)
- Transwarmer mattresses.
- No incubator, but would nurse a baby on resuscitaire.
- Monitoring of oxygen saturation and blood glucose available (propaq in A&E with neonatal probe)
- X-ray radiographer on call.
- No blood gas or telemedicine link
Drugs
- Antibiotics and morphine available, other drugs available from general side.
- No surfactant or prostin.