Human error blamed for ‘wrong island’ air ambulance

A mix-up which saw an air ambulance being sent to Shetland instead of Orkney to pick up a sick baby was down to human error, an investigation found.

The child needed to be transferred to Aberdeen for treatment in March.

The fixed-wing aircraft was initially sent to Shetland by mistake, although the patient was later safely transferred.

NHS Grampian said that after a full investigation it was clear the mistake was “not symptomatic of wider issues”.

A statement added: “We have reminded all staff about the importance of clearly establishing transfer requirements and communicating these to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“We would take this opportunity to apologise again to the family involved for any distress caused.”