Wards have been merged at a north-east community hospital in an effort to provide better care.
Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership made the decision this week to rearrange Fraserburgh Community Hospital.
Staff and beds will be moving from one ward to combine with another after some staff self-isolated as they are now classed as ‘vulnerable’.
Angie Wood, interim chief officer for the AHSCP, said: “The reconfiguration of the bed base at Fraserburgh Community Hospital is to ensure we can provide maximum service from the site.
“To do this we need to have the staff available, both in terms of nursing and primary care.
“The care we will provide and the number of beds we have available is dependent on these changes.
“As our response to Covid-19 continues, these measures will allow us to respond quickly and effectively when we get an anticipated peak in demand on our services.”
It is thought that by having a spare ward, it would be easier to utilise if isolation was necessary or if people with the virus are needing treatment for other ailments.
Currently the move is purely to provide a better quality of care to existing patients – most of whom are elderly, are recovering from surgeries or are receiving terminal care.
