Surgery is put on hold amid NHS crisis

Children’s operations have been postponed amid mounting pressure on NHS staffing levels and beds.

Non-urgent surgery and procedures have been put back at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

NHS Grampian has said it has been forced to make the decision as a last resort so it can prioritise the children who are most sick.

It said: “You will all be aware of the current pressure on the NHS. Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital is not immune from this.

“We are asking all families to be patient as their visit to hospital may take longer than expected – this applies to both appointments and unscheduled attendances.

“This also means some procedures or operations, which are less urgent, have been, or could be, postponed.”

Patients across Scotland have also been urged to stay away from A&E unless they are suffering a lifethreatening illness or injury.

NHS Lothian has been experiencing unprecedented demand in A& E, with 5,171 patients attending emergency departments in the week ending September 12.

The figure was the highestever in one week, and only 66.1% of the patients were seen within the four-hour target time.

NHS Lothian chief officer of acute services Jacquie Campbell apologised for the delays but said A&E departments are exceptionally busy.

She said: “Staff are working incredibly hard to deal with demand. However, waiting times are also part of wider pressures across our health and care system which can block the flow of patients from our emergency departments.

“We urge the public to please only attend A&E if it’s a life-threatening emergency.

“If it’s not life-threatening, or you think you need to visit a minor injury unit, please call NHS 24 on 111 first.”

The warning came as Scotland recorded another 18 coronavirus deaths, and 3,261 positive cases of the virus.

There were 1,005 people in hospital on Friday with recently confirmed Covid-19, down by six from the previous day.