Hospital ambulance diversions are 'major warning'

NHS Grampian's diversion of immoderate ambulances distant from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) is simply a "major informing light" for the wellness service, a national says.

BMA Scotland said doctors were "extremely concerned" aft a captious incidental was declared by the committee connected Thursday implicit precise precocious request connected its services.

Patients requiring contiguous beingness redeeming attraction volition inactive beryllium dealt with astatine ARI, but different patients volition beryllium taken to different hospitals wherever clinically appropriate.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish authorities was moving urgently to assistance mitigate pressures connected the hospital.

Some elective procedures and appointments person been postponed, but for crab attraction and diagnostic tests.

Dr Iain Kennedy, seat of BMA Scotland, said the timing of the incidental was alarming.

He said: "There is simply a furniture based occupation successful Aberdeen, there's simply a shortage of beds successful Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

"The information that this captious incidental has been declared successful November is highly concerning.

"We’ve astir apt got a precise acold wintertime up with inevitable seasonal microorganism outbreaks."

Dr Kennedy said doctors successful Grampian consciousness they are not being heard by NHS chiefs oregon the Scottish government.

He added: "What they're telling maine is that determination needs to beryllium acold much concern successful the assemblage successful General Practice, truthful that the doctors and the wider squad determination tin assistance forestall patients needing to spell to infirmary In the archetypal place.

"It's close up determination arsenic a large informing airy of the ongoing situation successful the NHS successful Scotland."

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said it was "working collaboratively" with NHS Grampian to negociate the existent pressures.

Patients person been diverted from ARI for attraction successful Dundee and Elgin.

The heath committee said radical with the top objective request would beryllium prioritised for admittance to ARI and it was aiming to get backmost to "business arsenic usual" arsenic soon arsenic possible.

NHS Grampian has faced terrible unit successful caller years, with staffing problems and multi-million lb overspends.

There person besides been superior issues with ambulances forced to queue extracurricular ARI.

Last month, the wellness committee announced plans to trim the fig of ambulances waiting extracurricular the hospital.

The strategy allows ambulance unit to instrumentality immoderate patients straight into the archetypal appraisal portion to debar lengthy queues astatine the infirmary entrance.

The Unison national has opposed the change, saying it would adhd to the unit faced by infirmary staff.

The Scottish authorities said it was "working urgently" with NHS Grampian to assistance mitigate pressures astatine ARI and supply support.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said "patient information is paramount".

He added: “This benignant of sustained unit that services are facing is not unsocial to Scotland, akin challenges are being felt crossed the UK.

“While Scotland continues to person the champion performing halfway A&E departments successful the UK, show is not of the modular we each expect."

The wellness caput said concern continued to beryllium made successful NHS 24 telephone handlers and the SAS workforce - with 1,388 much unit recruited since 2020.