Doctors at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary are “exhausted” because of staffing shortages in accident and emergency, a consultant has claimed.
Dr Simon Barker said there were “inevitably” safety concerns at ARI as a result of vacancies.
The comments from Mr Barker, who works in orthopaedics, come as health chiefs work to fill senior posts.
Dr Barker, deputy chair of the BMA’s Scottish Consultants Committee, claimed there were still gaps in the rota.
He urged the health board to come up with a solution “so that my colleagues aren’t working on an exhausted basis and so that we are providing a safe and comprehensive care for the people of our region”.
Concerns about staffing in A&E were first raised with the board in June.
It comes as NHS Grampian, which currently employs around 16,000 people, plans to spend £7.5 million less on its staff budget this year.
Meanwhile, unprecedented sums are being spent on locum and bank staff and sending patients for private healthcare to meet waiting times targets.
A spokesman for NHS Grampian said there were still some gaps in the A&E rota for this weekend, but this was not unusual at this stage of the week.
He added that the staffing issues are not unique to Aberdeen with similar problems across the UK.
The spokesman added: “There are complex challenges to bringing a sustainable resolution to Emergency Department staffing and these have been widely publicised.”
A locum Consultant and a middle grade staff member have been appointed, with two consultant appointments made in July. One of these takes up position during 2015 and is currently training.
He added: “We remain committed to restoring and enhancing staffing in our Emergency Department and we assure the people of Grampian that we are committed to providing a high quality service.
“Clinical staff have met the Board twice, and senior management continue to engage with them. The medical director liaises directly with the emergency department on a daily basis.
“In the meantime our A&E staff are working very hard and committing additional time to maintaining a safe level of response. We are continuing to work on ensuring that shifts for this weekend are fully covered.
“The top priority for the Emergency Department remains attending to those in greatest, most urgent need. Multidisciplinary teams across the hospital are working hard to support the department and we are grateful to all staff for their efforts.”