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NHS GRAMPIAN HAVE come under fire again from Moray MP Douglas Ross on learning that the paediatric ward at Dr Gray’s Hospital was once again closed to overnight patients.

No announcement has been made by NHS Grampian and insideMORAY was unable to contact the health authority today on learning from a Moray grandfather who had taken his four-year-old granddaughter to A&E at the hospital on Tuesday.

He was informed that any patients that required an overnight stay would be required to go to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary – repeating the situation earlier this year when the paediatric unit in Moray was closed until a new junior doctor could be recruited.

When made aware of the situation by insideMORAY, Douglas Ross MP said: “I am extremely concerned to hear that the children’s ward at Dr Gray’s was not taking overnight admissions on Tuesday and have contacted NHS Grampian to ask why this happened and to seek reassurances it was a one-off and not the start of closure by stealth.

“We were told just a couple of months ago that the issues with staffing had been resolved and yet this has happened again. I said at the time this needed to be addressed and I am very concerned that children in Moray who require to be admitted will be left out in the corridors, or worse still sent away and told to travel 75 miles to Aberdeen.

“This is just not acceptable and we need reassurances that everything is being done to staff the hospital at Elgin. The problems with recruiting junior doctors was identified again this week but that was looking ahead to February.

“This most recent closure will add further fears to many concerned constituents who have contacted me about the future of Dr Gray’s ”