Seeking medical advice
Please do not post medical/health queries on this page as we will not be able to respond to these. If you require urgent medical advice:
• Daytime - contact your own GP Surgery
• Evenings, weekends and holidays - telephone NHS 24 on 111
• For serious accidents and medical emergencies - telephone the ambulance service on 999
Please also be aware that anything that you post on our page will be visible to everyone who accesses this page. Unauthorised photography, filming or recording
No one is allowed to make unauthorised photos, video or audio recordings in NHS Orkney buildings and grounds, particularly if they feature other patients, staff, carers, or visitors. This is to respect the privacy and dignity of individuals using our services and also our staff. Moderation
Please note this is a moderated information site and is not a public forum. This site is moderated Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm (excluding public holidays). The moderators reserve the right to switch off comments where necessary and delete any comments that contain vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind or offensive comments that target or disparage any ethnic, racial or religious group. Further to this, we also reserve the right to delete any comments that:
• are spam or include links to other sites
• are clearly off topic
• advocate illegal activity
• promote particular services, products or political organisations
• infringe on copyrights or trademarks
• use personally identifiable medical information (we recommend you do not share any of your medical information on our Social Media pages)
• contain case-specific and other confidential information
• spread misinformation that may cause harm
Requesting information
Requests for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) or the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) should be submitted as follows:
For Freedom of Information requests, e-mail: ork.foirequests@nhs.scot
For personal information requests, e-mail: ork.dp@nhs.scot
For further information, please visit the NHS Orkney Freedom of Information and Access to Personal Information sections on our website. Providing feedback on NHS Orkney services
Please don’t provide feedback on NHS Orkney and our services on this page. Instead, you can contact us direct to praise staff, comment on our standards of care or let us know your views on any other aspect of NHS services in Orkney by the following:
Post: Patient Experience Officer, NHS Orkney, The Balfour, Foreland Road, Kirkwall, KW15 1NZ
Tel: 01856 888221
E-mail ork.feedback@nhs.scot
You can also find these details on our Contact Us page - https://www.ohb.scot.nhs.uk/contact-us
The Feedback Service is open during the office hours of Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm. Alternatively, you can complete a Feedback Card which can be requested at The Balfour main reception desk. Right Care, Right Place
If you are looking for medical advice, please speak to your GP, call NHS 24 on 111 (if it's out of hours) or visit https://www.nhsinform.scot/. For serious accidents and medical emergencies - telephone the ambulance service on 999. Don't run out of repeat prescriptions - order only what you need. Details of opening hours for GP practices and pharmacies are available at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/national-service-directory/
For information on which NHS service to turn to when you’re ill or injured visit: https://www.nhsinform.scot/right-care. If we all use NHS services wisely, we can keep well and get the care we need quickly, safely and as close to home as possible.
