As many as eight ambulances queued up outside Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin today as winter pressures continue to build.
Staff shortages and an increase in patients with respiratory illness such as the flu and Covid are heaping the pressure on NHS Grampian.
Earlier this week, the health board put out an urgent call for any medical staff currently on holiday to head to work to help relieve the pressure.
Bosses say the “extreme pressure” is being felt right across the health care system.
An NHS Grampian spokesman said tonight: “We continue to experience an extreme level of pressure across our health care system.
“This is due to the number of acutely ill patients arriving at hospital and difficulties in discharging patients to community settings.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of patients presenting with influenza, Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses, who require hospital treatment as a result. The high levels of these viruses circulating in communities is also affecting our staffing levels.”
NHS Grampian health facilities facing a desperate situation
Similar circumstances have been reported at health care facilities across the Grampian region in recent weeks.
Cancer sufferer George Kindness spent 30 hours on a bed in a hospital corridor after waiting more than six hours to see a doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary just days after Christmas – although he and his wife praised the under-pressure staff for their compassion and commitment.
Hayley Jaffrey, of Alford, rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary last month after being informed one of her relatives had been involved in an accident.
When she arrived at the emergency department, she discovered they had been sitting outside in an ambulance for an hour.
They were eventually taken into a room within the infirmary, where they waited a further two hours to be seen.
Douglas Ross: ‘Almost all Moray ambulances parked outside’
Moray MP Douglas Ross has taken to social media to highlight the situation.
He wrote: “I’ve been contacted by paramedics and hospital staff from Dr Gray’s today. Almost the entire ambulance capacity for Moray is parked up outside the hospital.
“I’m told people have been getting X-rays and CT Scans directly from the ambulance and then returned to the ambulance.”
He also said the Scottish Conservatives published a winter recovery plan for the NHS but the suggestions were “ignored” by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and the SNP.
NHS Grampian said they are “extremely grateful” to off-duty staff for their willingness to work amidst these challenging times.
He added: “We would like to thank those staff who have made themselves available for work despite not being scheduled to do so – we are extremely grateful for your help.”
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