Exclusive:Nurse wanted for Scotland's most remote inhabited island in 'unique' chance to join vibrant community

Fair Isle, the tiny island which lies halfway between the Shetland and Orkney mainlands, is looking for a nurse to play a key role in its “forward thinking” and “hard-working” community.

In what is a health role like few others, the new nurse will be tasked with providing a full-time nursing service for the island’s resident population, as well as visiting tourists.

The position is advertised with a salary range of between £41,608 and £50,702, although that package will be bolstered by additional payments due to Fair Isle’s remote location.

The successful applicant, who will be expected to provide personal care in and absence of any social care provision on the island, will be entitled to a distant island allowance worth £2,482 per year, while up to £8,000 is on offer to help them relocate. A car will be provided and a two-bedroom traditional stone-built house will also be available for the postholder to rent.

‘You get that chance you look after your flock’

But the greatest attraction is arguably the chance to become an integral part of a small yet thriving community which currently stands at around 50 strong.

One resident, Eileen Thomson, grew up on Fair Isle, and moved back to the island from Edinburgh with her young family eight years ago. She described the vacancy as being unlike any other nursing role.

“On Fair Isle, you get to be so much more of a nurse than you would anywhere else,” she told Scotland on Sunday. “On the mainland, you might see a patient for five minutes, and not see them again for months, or even ever. But here, the nurse gets to really look after people. You get that continuity of care living and working alongside people, and you get that chance to look after your flock - it’s a wonderful opportunity for someone.”

A key quality to living and working on the island, she said, was being able to throw yourself into its “vibrant” community. “We need people who are going to work hard and get on,” she said. “If anyone wants solitude and isolation, they’re better off living in a city. On Fair Isle, we need people to chip in, who can help out, and who want to be sociable, because that’s how we all thrive.”

The island has had a resident nurse since 1903. Until then, those on Fair Isle had to rely on a community medicine chest. One holder of the nursing role, Mona McAlpine, wrote a memoir of time on Fair Isle in the 1960s, a book which is still in print to this day thanks in large part to its depiction of everyday island life.

Health board points to ‘truly welcoming’ island

NHS Shetland, which is spearheading the recruitment drive for the latest incumbent, said the district nurse/nurse practitioner role offers an opportunity to be part of an island with a “truly welcoming atmosphere” and a “resilient community,” with outstanding, unspoiled natural beauty, dramatic landscapes, and world-famous knitwear.

“Fair Isle is a wonderful place to live and work, offering low pollution, low crime, excellent schools, great leisure facilities, unique wildlife and amazing scenery, whilst still only a short flight away from the UK mainland,” it said.

Ms Thomson also pointed out that if the would-be nurse had a partner, there were also plenty of opportunities for them on the island, where communal tasks often revolve around croft work, such as lambing, clipping and baling silage.

“We’re going to need new ferry crew again soon, and we’re always desperate for people who are skilled in labouring, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work,” she explained. “If the nurse comes with someone who is practical, there are always roles coming up. If people are open minded, decent, and want to get stuck in, there are huge opportunities waiting for them here, and they will be made so very welcome by everyone.”

A time of renewal

The drive to bring in a new nurse comes at a time of renewal for the island, which has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1954.

Six years ago, it suffered a severe blow after its internationally renowned bird observatory - a major draw for tourists and researchers from around the world - was destroyed by a fire, but a replacement centre opened its doors in June.

Earlier this year, the island - which measures just three miles long by one-and-a-half miles wide - also welcomed a new teacher for its primary school.

In June, meanwhile, a £5.6 million contract was awarded to a Yorkshire firm to build a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle, with the new vessel expected to come into service next year.

“Fair Isle is a stunning island,” Ms Thomson said. “There’s no more beautiful place in the world, and we moved back here because we wanted our children to have a connection to this amazing place and continue some of the traditions that have been part of life here for centuries.

“But it’s also a modern island - along with its heritage around music, knitwear, fishing and working the land, we have great connectivity, good transport links, and an island shop which sells just about everything. Even though it’s a small, isolated island, Fair Isle is a very outward looking place.”

With applications for the nursing post closing at the end of this month, interviews are scheduled for the second week in September, and it is hoped the new recruit will be able to move to the island later this year.