PATIENTS are facing major disruption after staff shortages threw the future of a maternity unit into doubt and led health bosses to suspend admissions at a flagship children’s ward.

In the latest sign of recruitment troubles plaguing the NHS, expectant mothers could be forced to travel 60 miles to either Aberdeen or Inverness to give birth unless two junior doctors can be hired to help staff the obstetric department at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Moray.

NHS Grampian said it was investigating “temporary options” for the delivery of paediatric, obstetrics and gynaecology services at the hospital after a shortage of new trainee doctors applying to train in these specialities at the Moray hospital.

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Unless the posts can be filled in time for the change over of junior doctors in August there will not be enough medical cover to staff the maternity unit overnight and at weekends.

As a result, the unit would be temporarily downgraded to low-risk midwifery unit operating 9-5 on weekdays only, with only very low-risk pregnant women able to deliver there. All other mothers would have to travel to Inverness or Aberdeen instead to give birth.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Midwives said it was “a time of great concern to midwives and other maternity staff at Dr Gray’s”.

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said: “At this time of year new junior doctors are recruited to work in our local hospitals as others move on but with the turnaround fast approaching there are still gaps to be filled at Dr Gray’s. If the vacancies remain then NHS Grampian is saying that some service may have to be modified, including maternity services, and this is causing concern.

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“It’s very clear the NHS has to take every step possible in the next few days to avoid changes to local services – and more has to be done nationally to attract junior doctors to work beyond the cities.”

Bosses at NHS Grampian were holding emergency talks with staff and trade unions yesterday about the staffing crisis.

Gary Mortimer, director of acute services for NHS Grampian, insisted any changes “will be temporary” and that the problem was one of recruitment, not funding, with cash readily available to hire suitable candidates.

He added: “Over the next few weeks we will be unrelenting in our efforts to identify and recruit additional permanent and locum staff. We are, however, making sure that we have contingency options in place in case those efforts are unsuccessful.”

It comes as the children’s ward at the new Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow was closed until July 17, reportedly due to a shortage of of nurses.

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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the two-week shutdown coincided with a surge in staff taking annual leave and a decrease in planned patient numbers due to school summer holidays.

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar blamed “poor workforce planning” by the Scottish Government.

It also coincides with the summer closure of the children’s ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston to inpatient admissions, due to a shortage of paediatric consultants able to provide out-of-hours cover.

Kevin Hill, Glasgow’s women and children’s services director, said: “The decision to temporarily suspend activity for the first two weeks of the summer holidays was taken due to significant decrease of planned patient activity throughout the Royal Hospital for Children and enables us to also meet the higher level of requests for annual leave from staff. The hospital typically experiences a decrease in patient numbers during July due to holidays.”