Health Secretary Alex Neil is in Aberdeen today to meet staff, patients and senior management at crisis-hit NHS Grampian.
The ministerial visit comes during a turbulent period for the health board, with fresh reports emerging today of ongoing staffing problems at the north-east’s flagship hospital.
The Press and Journal revealed a consultant was flown in from Jamaica to fill a gap in coverage after Aberdeen Royal Infirmary was left without a top anaesthetist.
NHS Grampian paid £1,535 for the specialist’s return flight from Kingston to Aberdeen in June.
It follows a similar arrangement in August, when the health board paid more than £2,175 to fly in a consultant from India to cover a weekend shift in accident and emergency.
NHS Grampian has been rocked by public complaints by senior medics and the resignation of chief executive Richard Carey and board chairman Bill Howatson.
Medical director Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen also retired from his post shortly after telling MSPs he believed the north-east health board has been under funded to the tune of £1billion over the past decade.
Speaking in advance of his visit, Mr Neil said: “Following a challenging period for NHS Grampian, it is important now that we focus on the future and support the incoming new leadership at the health board to continue to deliver high quality health services for patients in the Aberdeen area.
“I hope now that, with Malcolm Wright due to take over as interim chief executive from December, we can all work towards rebuilding a sense of unity and common purpose at NHS Grampian. I have confidence in the many talented and dedicated frontline staff working across the health board area and I know they are all focused on delivering the best possible care for every single patient.
“With the Healthcare Improvement Scotland review due to report in December it is important that any recommendations can be taken forward quickly and effectively. The Scottish Government will continue to listen to patients and support the board as they work to address these issues, just as we have done in the past.”
A Scottish Government spokesman insisted the frontline budget at the Grampian board has been protected.
He said it had increased by £229.2million since 2007 and will increase by 4.4% to £812.6million for 2015-16, “both above inflation and the largest increase of any Scottish health board”.
The spokesman added that the number of staff working in NHS Grampian has also increased 3.6% under the current government.