A health board has defended its temporary closure of a casualty department at a hospital on one of the busiest nights of the year, because of staff shortages.
Patients' representatives are calling for proper cover to be provided in what is the first port of call for Peterhead. The town has a population of almost 18,000 and was swollen on Saturday night by the end of a local gala week.
NHS Grampian insisted Peterhead Hospital does not have a proper consultant-led accident and emergency/casualty department and that what closed on Saturday night was its "Minor Injury Unit."
A spokeswoman conceded it was known locally as the casualty department and the health board's own website says Peterhead Community Hospital provides: "A&E 24 hour Casualty." She said the minor injury unit at the hospital had been temporarily closed for less than 12 hours on Saturday night.
"An unforeseen staffing shortage meant there would not be sufficient staff to ensure patient safety at the unit, so the decision was made to temporarily treat patients elsewhere."
She added:"People who needed emergency treatment between 7.55pm on Saturday and 7.30am Sunday were brought to Fraserburgh Hospital or Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. People who walked into the Minor Injury Unit at Peterhead were advised the unit would re-open at 8am."
Dr Jean Turner, executive Director of Scotland Patients Association said as it was the first port of call for a sizeable community "there should have been fallback arrangements."
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