Planned operations have been cancelled at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness because of “superficial cracks” on some walls of the hospital’s main theatre.
NHS Highland said an inspection carried out by structural engineers confirmed there are no structural issues but concerns have been highlighted about the cracks.
The decision to stop all operations within the theatre has been taken until further notice.
Work is ongoing to upgrade the theatre complex at the north’s main hospital.
Ron Coggins, clinical director for the surgical division at Raigmore Hospital, said: “It was not possible to foresee this complication, but I am reassured that we do have a plan in place to get our theatres operational as soon as possible.
“The clinical team have also started to look at our patient lists to prioritise the work that we need to do once our theatres are operational.
“We are examining all theatre capacity across all sites in Highland and are also in discussions with NHS Grampian and others to see how they may assist.
“We are truly sorry for the disruption and concerns this will have on our patients across Highland.
“I would like to assure patients and the public that senior clinicians will be prioritising all cancer and other urgent patients. I am also content with the plan we have in place to manage all emergency patients.”
He added: “At this stage I can’t say with certainty how long these theatres will be out of use but it will certainly be this week and also into next week.”
David Park, chief officer for NHS Highland, said: “All teams within Raigmore Hospital are working very closely to resolve this situation and our teams across Highland are in close contact and looking at ways in which the impact to patients is minimised.”
