Daisy Villa contract awarded to Kirkwall practice

A Kirkwall-based GP practice will take over the running of the surgery serving Burray and South Ronaldsay.

NHS Orkney confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the contract for the running of Daisy Villa has been awarded to Heilendi Practice, following a formal procurement process.

The handover will take place in January.

NHS Orkney’s head of primary care, John Daniels, was pleased to announced the contract award ahead of the retirement of the current GPs running Daisy Villa, Drs Simon and Catriona Kemp.

“Given the national shortage of GPs, this is a great outcome for the communities of South Ronaldsay and Burray as the practice team will continue to provide all of the services previously offered, including a pharmacy dispensary,” Mr Daniels said.

Dr Ingrid Seatter, GP and partner at Heilendi Practice, added: “The team at Heilendi Practice are looking forward to working with Daisy Villa to provide the ongoing care for the patients in South Ronaldsay and Burray.

“Our aim is to continue the high-quality care and continuity that has been provided by Drs Simon and Catriona Kemp.”

Lorna Whyte, practice manager at Daisy Villa, said that staff at the surgery are looking forward to working with Heilendi, and are confident that this appointment will continue to provide quality care to patients.

“Both teams will work together in the next few months to ensure a smooth transition,” she said.