Children's surgery suspended at Scottish hospital over safety concerns
The move comes just weeks after emergency paediatric surgery was paused
All planned children’s surgery at a Scottish hospital has been suspended over safety concerns.
NHS Grampian says the decision was made after concerns were identified about surgical services and the quality and safety of care for children at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
It also comes after emergency paediatric surgery was paused at the hospital in June.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland had carried out an unannounced inspection at the hospital in April, where concerns over paediatric care were raised.
Dr Hugh Farrow-Bishop, medical director at NHS Grampian, said the health board is undertaking necessary staff training “as a matter of urgency” and has reviewed rotas, procedures and training records.
He said: “While this is under way - and with the safety of patients being our top priority - we have further paused planned paediatric surgical procedures at Dr Gray’s Hospital.
“We want to apologise to those children - and their families - affected by this.
“We are committed to offering them new dates for their procedures as soon as possible.
“After the review and renewal of required training, we will determine the profile of paediatric surgery that can safely be delivered on the Dr Gray’s site, alongside our colleagues at Healthcare Improvement Scotland.”
He said the health board expects this process to be completed by the end of the year.
Outpatient paediatric care is not affected, and NHS Grampian is advising families to continue to attend these appointments as normal.
The health board also says parents should continue taking their children to A&E at Dr Gray’s Hospital in an emergency.
Laura Mitchell, the SNP MSP for Moray, said she was “deeply concerned” about the situation. She said: “The safety of children in Moray and across Grampian is paramount, so I understand NHS Grampian must take urgent action to ensure our service in Elgin is safe and delivering a high quality of care for patients.”
A spokesperson for Healthcare Improvement Scotland said: “Concerns were identified about paediatric surgery at Dr Gray’s Hospital.
“NHS Grampian has taken steps to address the concerns, and we continue to engage with them in the interests of patient safety.”
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