PATIENT TRAVEL SURVEY MAY 2025

Working with the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, the Islay Medical and Dental Practices and the Jura Medical Practice, we  organised a detailed survey to gather information about the journeys that Islay and Jura residents had to make to access medical and dental care both on the islands and to the mainland during May 2025.

We advertised the survey widely across the islands and questionnaires were available in each doctor’s surgery on Islay and Jura, in the Islay and Jura Dental Practice and in Islay Hospital. The Patient Travel Team at Islay Hospital and the reception teams in each practice signposted the survey to patients. The survey was active over a 4 week period and we collected 112 questionnaires which described 51 journeys on Islay and Jura and 61 journeys  to the mainland. 

We have published the results of the survey in a substantial report accompanied by a detailed contextual discussion, our conclusions and recommendations for the local, regional and national actions which we think are necessary to ameliorate the adverse effects  of these journeys which residents describe.

We hope that the report will prompt collaborative work between the Islay and Jura Communities, patients, local third sector organisations, the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Highland and political representatives to further increase the understanding of the effects that these journeys have on patients and to find ways to improve the experience of the journeys, not only for patients but also for family members, community volunteers, transport providers and NHS staff who are trying to support them.

Other local organisations including Cancer Support Group Islay, Bump to Birth and Islay Seniors have contributed to the Islay Forum for Health and Wellbeing Travel which we have convened to take this work forward.