Paediatric surgery at Elgin may not be restored until the end of December
10 dental cases are affected
Paediatric surgery at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin might not be restored until the end of December, according to NHS Grampian’s chief executive.
Planned dental and ear, nose and throat (ENT) procedures were suspended last week. It later emerged that emergency surgeries had been suspended since June, a decision that was not made public at the time.
Laura Skaife-Knight has apologised to patients and their families and said the decision to pause the children’s surgical services was made on “quality and safety grounds”.
During a visit to Elgin, Health Secretary Angela Constance said Dr Gray’s was a “good hospital” but added that she understood families’ frustration with the situation.
NHS Grampian said 10 dental cases and six ENT cases were affected.
Skaife-Knight told BBC Scotland News: “We took the decision a few months ago to pause paediatric surgery on quality and safety grounds as a precautionary measure.
“We are now looking for assurance around certain aspects of staffing, training and governance in the hope that getting that assurance, we can restore paediatric surgery at Dr Gray’s Hospital by the end of December.”
She added: “We want to apologise to those patients and families who have been affected.”