When a hospital is so short-staffed that it cannot keep a children's ward open during the peak holiday season without putting patients at risk, there must be concern about overall levels of staffing.
The children's ward at St John's Hospital in Livingston will close for three weeks next month because the number of paediatricians has been cut. The decision also reveals that the hospital is dependent on locums for the children's ward and they cannot provide enough cover during the holiday season for the 20-30 patients a week normally treated.
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