A north-east dentist has claimed Brexit is making it far more difficult to fill vacancies in the area.
Navin Aziz owns practices in Inverurie, Huntly, Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh but claims interest in the four posts he has open has dropped since the vote to leave the European Union (EU).
He also claims change in visa rules make it impossible to recruit from outside the EU.
Mr Aziz said: “It will become more a buyer’s market and how can we compete with the salaries being offered in the cities and in England?”
Recent figures have shown between 2016 and 2017 the number of registered dentists dropped for the first time in five years.
Following this MSP Gillian Martin, who represents Aberdeenshire East, has written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd calling for contingency visas to be put in place.
She said: “It is difficult to retain staff for job roles in rural areas as it is.
“Brexit is going to make it increasingly difficult to employ people from within the European Union. Now the UK Government has made it more challenging to recruit people from outside of it.
“We are only beginning to see the impact of Brexit. It is only going to get worse. We will have a skills vacuum for the most vital of services.”