As many as 17 school days missed by Caithness kids with braces
They can travel 100-miles for check-ups every 6-weeks for 2-years.
Last updated 7th Jan 2018
'Orthodontics is a specialist service that is only provided in Inverness within NHS Highland' - STATEMENT
As many as 17-school days could be missed by kids in Caithness who have to wear braces, because check-ups as often as every six-weeks are all the way in Inverness.
Children are having to make the 100-mile journey down the A9 to Raigmore Hospital, in some cases over the course of up to two-years, but their appointments can last for just minutes.
Jaclyn Young, 39-years-old, is a Lybster mum who's preparing to travel with her son who's getting braces soon.
She told MFR News: "Whether it's a morning or an afternoon appointment, he's definitely going to miss one day of school out of every six weeks.
"Over the course of 24-months that's a lot of appointments. That's a lot of days missed.
"The money that you can claim back for your travel expenses doesn't cover the petrol that you've had to put in your car to go that far and back.
"He's going to miss out on his education. Him off school, and a day off work for me, every six-weeks."
"We hadn't realised the scale of the problem, that so many children are going up and down the road every few weeks" - BILL FERNIE, CHAT CHAIRMAN
Chairman of pressure group Caithness Health Action Team, Bill Fernie added: "We're really surprised at the number of people who were contacting us about children losing education because of visits to the orthodontist at Raigmore.
"We hadn't realised the scale of the problem, that so many children are going up and down the road every few weeks.
"Sometimes they only need little things like a brace adjustment, which is an appointment that might only last five or six minutes, but they've got to travel.
"It's a day off school, it's a day off somebody's work to take them down to Raigmore.
"At one time there used to be a clinic held. The orthodontist would come up to Caithness General Hospital in Wick, hold the clinic, have all the appointments over a couple of days."
In a statement the health board said: 'NHS Highland is advising practitioners across Highland to refer as appropriate.
'Orthodontics is a specialist service that is only provided in Inverness within NHS Highland.'
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