Moray MP Douglas Ross says it is “deeply concerning” that over half a dozen consultant physician roles at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin have remained unfilled for over a year.
Douglas was reacting to findings by the British Medical Association Scotland – first reported in The Herald – about the “dangerous” shortages of doctors across the country, with the problem particularly acute in rural and remote areas.
The research showed that six consultant physical roles at Dr Gray’s Hospital have been unfilled for two and a half years, while another has been unfilled for 14 months.
Douglas says that the unfilled vacancies are only adding to the “overwhelming pressure” on current staff at Dr Gray’s, where maternity services remain downgraded, five years on from a ‘temporary’ loss of services.
He has secured a commitment from SNP Public and Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto to visit Dr Gray’s soon and says that visit will leave her in no doubt about the challenges in delivering healthcare in Moray.
He says that successive SNP health secretaries – including now First Minister Humza Yousaf – have heavily contributed to these long-standing vacancies at Dr Gray’s through their “dire workforce planning”.
Douglas added that as well as dedicated Dr Gray’s staff, local patients in his constituency also suffer from a shortage of doctors, with delays at A&E and for vital treatments and procedures.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “These findings from the BMA about the level of frontline vacancies at Dr Gray’s are deeply concerning.
“Our dedicated staff are already completely overwhelmed, but with half a dozen consultant positions lying unfilled for over two years and another one for over a year, it is pushing them beyond breaking point.
“We have already seen the impact of staff shortages on our maternity services at Dr Gray’s, with the so-called temporary downgrade now nearing the five-year mark.
“The blame for these shortages lies squarely with the SNP government. Successive health secretaries – including Humza Yousaf’s dire workforce planning means hospitals like Dr Gray’s are now feeling the dangerous effects as a result.
“I’m pleased that Jenni Minto – the SNP’s new Public Health Minister - has agreed to visit Dr Gray’s with me in the near future. That visit will leave her in no doubt to the pressures faced in delivering healthcare in Moray.
“These shortages have a major impact on patients across Moray as they suffer longer delays at A&E and for vital treatments and procedures.
“We need to see a proper recovery plan for our NHS from the SNP, who all too often neglect our rural and remote communities, and leave them with fewer resources to do their work.”