New data shows that Dr Gray's was without an emergency medical consultant for five nights this year
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DR Gray's Hospital in Elgin had no emergency medical consultant for five nights this year.
NHS Grampian have confirmed that patients had no access to an emergency medical consultant at Dr Gray's on five nights in 2022 so far.
The duty consultant was absent on April 1, 4, 5, 22 and 23.
An emergency medical consultant provides senior leadership in emergency departments in hospitals.
Responsibilities include providing clinical care to patients, supervising and supporting doctors providing emergency medical care and working closely with management teams to ensure safe processes are in place for patients arriving with emergency conditions.
The information was uncovered through a Freedom of Information Request by the Scottish Conservatives.
Moray MP Douglas Ross says he is “deeply concerned” about these staffing issues.
Mr Ross said: “These findings are deeply concerning. Emergency medical consultants are absolutely vital for our health service and it is completely unacceptable that this situation occurred on so many occasions in just a single month this year.
"All too often it is our rural hospitals like Dr Gray’s who are the most affected and it is other heroic frontline staff and patients who pay the price for the Scottish government's inaction.
“Our NHS is in crisis on the SNP’s watch and this lack of night time cover will understandably make patients alarmed about what will happen if they have to turn up requiring emergency care at Dr Gray’s.
“While thankfully this didn’t cause any issues with patient safety on these occasions, this cannot become a trend at Dr Gray’s.
“Patients across Moray need to see Humza Yousaf finally show leadership once and for all and ensure that he is fully on top of these serious staffing issues that have been ongoing for far too long.”
Responding to the new figures, Moray SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said: “Dr Gray’s has a first class A&E department that has been working under enormous pressure in recent months and years.
"I would expect NHS Grampian to make every effort to maintain adequate staffing levels and I continue to press the health board to ensure every effort is being made to attract staff to work in Moray.
“The SNP is not going to take any lectures from the Tories given their hard-Brexit and anti-immigration policies have been foisted on our NHS, making it much more difficult to attract hospital staff and other key medical professionals, such as dentists, to work in Moray and Scotland.”
In the letter revealing the figures, an NHS Grampian spokesperson said: "The reason for these gaps was the implementation of amended terms and conditions of service for the majority of the EM consultants which resulted in reduced availability to cover these shifts.
"Locum cover was sought but was not available as an alternative solution.
"There was no documented actual impact on patient safety evidenced by no patient harm related adverse events in ED on these dates."
