NHS Lanarkshire addresses ongoing surgical staffing pressures

dailyrecord.co.uk:

NHS Lanarkshire is “facing staffing challenges” in general surgery and is developing improvement plans “to address the current issues”, particularly at Monklands Hospital.Health board officials say there have not been sufficient consultant surgeons to cover overnight general surgical on-call rotas at the Airdrie hospital in recent months, meaning staff have had to be drafted in from Hairmyres and Wishaw.They are now developing plans including creating a new Monklands unit to help reduce emergency admissions, plus a 24/7 emergency theatre.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Consultant surgeon Mr Martin Downey, NHS Lanarkshire’s interim associate medical director for access, said: “It has only been possible to maintain general surgical services at University Hospital Monklands thanks to surgeons from Wishaw and Hairmyres providing cover on call.“We are grateful to them for helping to keep the service going at this difficult time – unfortunately, from a staff wellbeing perspective this cannot continue for much longer.“It also reduces our capacity to carry out planned general surgery for patients in Lanarkshire and does not meet the requirements of the General Medical Council and Scottish Surgical Deanery in order to retain general surgical trainees.”Improvements have to be in place by August and