A SHORTAGE of junior doctors is putting some patients in Scotland at risk, the Royal College of Physicians claims.

There were 88 vacancies in NHS Lanarkshire and Greater Glasgow and Clyde last month.

NHS Lanarkshire said a shortage of new doctors had created vulnerable areas in its hospitals, including care for newborns and general medicine at Wishaw General and Monklands Hospital in Airdrie. It said additional neonatal consultants had been appointed, it is actively recruiting and also working to fill vacancies with locum doctors.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We are taking the necessary measures to ensure rotas are compliant and are fully committed to providing safe and sustainable medical cover."

But Dr Neil Dewhurst, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said: "This can put great pressure on acute rotas, particularly out of hours when medical staff can be stretched very thinly.

"This can increase the potential for impacting negatively upon patient safety and reduces the quality of patient care."

However, NHS Lanarkshire denied there would be an impact on safety. A spokeswoman said: "Clinicians and managers undertake daily monitoring to ensure we maintain services."