Covid in Scotland: Non-urgent surgery postponed at Aberdeen children's hospital

Non-urgent operations and procedures have been postponed at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital due to pressures on beds and staff.

NHS Grampian said it was taking the step as a "last resort" due to an "unusually high" number of referrals for the time of year.

The health board said it was prioritising the children who were most sick.

It has appealed to parents to be patient.

NHS Grampian said the hospital was "not immune" to challenges being experienced across Scotland's health boards.

Earlier this week, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scotland warned of "unrelenting pressure" on emergency departments, with Covid being part of the problem. It said a thousand extra hospital beds were needed to help relieve the pressure.

NHS Grampian warned that appointments and unscheduled attendances to the hospital might take longer to deal with than expected.

It also said some less urgent operations and procedures were being postponed, and any cancellations would be rescheduled for the earliest possible date.

The health board said: "We are asking all families to be patient as their visit to hospital may take longer than expected - this applies to both appointments and unscheduled attendances.

"This also means some procedures or operations, which are less urgent, have been, or could be, postponed."