Patients at the north-east’s flagship hospital have been put at “significant risk” because of staff shortages in accident and emergency, according to a health watchdog.
The standard of care for cancer patients and older people at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has also been flagged as a cause for concern after Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) was called in to investigate claims made by a whistle blower earlier this year.
The senior medic claimed that vulnerable patients were suffering as a result of posts not being filled in time.
The issue was also raised at a recent NHS Grampian board meeting, where workers at the new Emergency Care Centre warned that if vacant posts were not filled by the beginning of August, they would struggle to provide “safe care 24 hours a day, seven days a week”.
In the minutes of a meeting released under the Freedom of Information Act yesterday, HIS investigators revealed they had cause for concern after interviewing more than 30 members of staff earlier this year.
They said that anxieties about staffing at the A&E department were highlighted, as well as concerns about the relationships between senior clinical management and clinicians.
An allegation had been made of “sub-standard care within care of the elderly wards”, and the document also showed that NHS Grampian had struggled to meet a legally binding waiting times target for two years.
An “urgent review” relating to treatment for a number of cancers had also taken place.
The full HIS report is due to be published in late November.
NHS Grampian said it had been open about the HIS review, and that information was available about it on its website.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The rigorous approach of the independent review will fully examine any concerns about the quality of care provided and also advise on how any shortcomings can be rectified.”