NHS Grampian has refused to rule out further cutbacks to services as the recruitment crisis in Moray continues.
Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin has been repeatedly hit with staffing blows in recent months.
There is currently no specialist overnight care for children after pressures put on a small number of staff proved to be unsustainable.
Now the NHS has warned it cannot rule out the possibility of the same temporary measures put in place on the children’s ward being used on maternity services while the staffing situation remains fragile.
However, health officials have committed to doing their best to maintain the service in Moray into the future while stressing they are not “under threat”.
Yesterday Moray MSP Richard Lochhead met with NHS Grampian to discuss ways to attract staff to the region.
He said: “This has to be the top priority – otherwise existing staff will simply face additional pressures and the challenge will just get bigger.
“It would also be helpful for management at Dr Gray’s to be given more responsibility for recruitment, rather than all decisions being taken in Aberdeen.
“As well as direct steps to allocate staff to the hospital in the short term, there is no doubt we need to put together an attractive incentive package for Dr Gray’s that includes help for accommodation and a range of benefits other areas are not offering.”
Young patients arriving for treatment at Dr Gray’s through the night are currently assessed before being sent home or transferred to Aberdeen if they need admitted.
Meanwhile, a four-bed special care baby unit has also been closed due to the same issues facing the children’s ward after being requested by consultants on safety grounds.
NHS Grampian has described the current staffing situation in the maternity unit as “very vulnerable”.
A spokesman said: “Thus far, there has been no requirement for the type of temporary measures we’ve been forced to put in place for the paediatric service.
“But we need to be realistic and say there is a real possibility that at any given time we may face staffing challenges which will make it difficult to deliver the service in exactly same way.”
