Vital hospital unit to cut hours due to staffing shortages

A vital hospital unit is to restrict its opening hours this month because of staffing difficulties.

Pitlochry’s Minor Injury and Illness Unit (MIIU) will be closed at weekends throughout November and will only open between 9am and 4.30pm on weekdays.

This comes after a number of temporary closures and periods of restricted hours over the last few months, again due to staffing difficulties.

Robert Packham, chief officer for Perth and Kinross health and social care partnership, said: “We’d like to apologise for any disruption this may cause.

“We will continue to monitor the staffing situation at the MIIU unit.

“It is essential that we provide an MIIU service with appropriately skilled staff which is safe for patients and staff.

“Due to staffing difficulties, we have had to make the decision to restrict the opening for a temporary period.”

NHS Tayside sugggests people contact their GP between 8am and 6pm during the week, or visit a pharmacist if they need help on a health matter.

They also suggest contacting NHS 24 on 111 if someone is too ill to wait until their GP reopens.

Conservative councillor John Duff said:“It continues to be extremely disappointing that NHS Tayside is unable to recruit sufficient nurses and that Highland Perthshire’s health care continues to suffer.

“There is a national shortage of nurses and the Scottish Government must do more to reverse the damage they caused by slashing the number of nurse training places a few years ago.”