Aboyne Community Hospital to reopen after staff shortages forced closure

Aboyne Community Hospital will reopen at the end of October following a two-month closure due to staff shortages.

Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) shut the facility in August due to long-term staffing issues across three in-patient wards.

While the day clinics at the hospital were not affected by the disruption, all patients at the community ward had to be discharged or transferred elsewhere.

Health bosses said the temporary closure was a “very difficult decision”, and had hoped to find new recruits by the end of September.

Two registered nurses are required for every shift to keep the in-patient ward open.

The partnership has now reassured residents that they have secured the required number of staff to reopen the ward at the end of the month.

Janine Howie, interim partnership manager for South Aberdeenshire, said: “We are now in the position where we now have the staff in place to reopen the ward at Aboyne Community Hospital at the end of this month.

“I would like to thank everyone that has worked so hard to get us to this position.”