FearsRAH crisismay worsen

There’s a fear more staff sickness could make things even worse at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The Paisley hospital’s dire situation was raised this week on the floor of the Scottish Parliament.

West Scotland MSP Russell Findlay asked Health Secretary Humza Yousaf if he was “confident” the hospital could cope over the winter.

Mr Findlay told the chamber: “NHS staff and people across Renfrewshire who rely on the RAH must have confidence that the Edinburgh government provides the money and support to maintain services over the winter months.

“NHS workers across Scotland are bracing themselves for the winter ahead.

“At Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital there’s a reported chronic shortage of staff across all departments.

“The fear is that even more frontline medics will be lost to sickness because of the extreme pressure of the working environment they are in.

“Can the cabinet secretary tell RAH staff and the people of Renfrewshire if he is confident of protecting their services this winter?”

The minister did give reassurances, saying everything possible was being done to assist the RAH.

Later, Mr Findlay said: “RAH workers have expressed serious concerns about staffing levels and the pressures they face this coming winter.

“Many of them are running on empty and they cannot be expected to work under relentless pressure. Doing so could exacerbate an already precarious situation by causing more staff to suffer stress and become unwell.

“I wanted to raise these concerns in parliament directly with the SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.”