Staff shortage at medical hubs
MIIU on restricted timetables
Two key Perthshire medical facilities are to have their opening hours temporarily reduced because of a staff shortage.
From Wednesday, August 1, the minor illness and injury units (MIIU) in Crieff and Pitlochry will operate using a restricted timetable until vacancies have been filled.
The medical hub in Crieff’s King Street currently provides services between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
This is to be reduced to 9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, from the start of next month, meaning there will be no weekend cover.
In Highland Perthshire, the base on Pitlochry’s Ferry Road will see its 9am to 9pm hours on Saturdays and Sundays retained but it will only open from 9am to 4.30pm during the week – a reduction of half an hour each day.
A spokesperson for the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership – an umbrella group which includes the likes of regional health board NHS Tayside – said the decision had been taken as a result of what was described as “recruitment challenges”.
Strathearn ward SNP councillor Stewart Donaldson said he was concerned the restricted hours would be in force during the summer months.
He said: “It is particularly unfortunate that this situation should have arisen during the tourist season when the town is at its busiest and I have a specific concern about the unit being closed during Crieff Highland Games on Sunday, August 19.” Stewart Donaldson
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire SNP MSP Roseanna Cunningham added: “I have been informed that there are active measures underway to try and recruit staff to fill the vacancies that have arisen.
“I understand that if the necessary staff are not available, then it is necessary for interim measures to be put in place but it is disappointing that these steps have been necessary once again and I sincerely hope that normal service will be resumed as soon as practicable.”
Conservative MSP Liz Smith said rural Perthshire communities were “getting the short end of the stick,” when it came to health services.
And Murdo Fraser MSP added: “The Scottish Government has completely failed to support NHS boards in workforce planning and the brutal truth is that there aren’t enough nurses and doctors to meet demand.
“Nevertheless, this situation cannot be allowed to go on indefinitely and I am calling on NHS Tayside to put in place concrete timelines to recruit staff and return the service to normal.”
Robert Packham, the chief officer of the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “It is essential that we provide an MIIU service with appropriately skilled staff which is safe for patients and staff.
“Our MIIU units require highlyskilled nurses, who undertake specialist training to offer the full range of professional skills required by people using the MIIU services.
“Due to staffing vacancies within the service, we have introduced these temporary changes to the opening hours for the MIIU services in Pitlochry and Crieff.
“We are continuing to actively recruit to these posts to replace staff with the required level of experience and expertise for this specialist service.”
The current opening hours will continue until the temporary changes take effect on August 1. Outwith these hours and during public holidays people are advised to call NHS 24 on 111 or consult a pharmacist.