Fears are mounting that sick and injured children and women in labour might have to travel to hospitals outwith Fife.
Less than a year after the opening of children’s and maternity facilities at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, there are concerns staff shortages could see the region’s youngsters treated, and babies delivered, elsewhere.
Both services are provided in the £170 million new wing at the Vic, but health bosses have admitted that from February they will be short of trainee doctors to cover the out-of-hours rota.
NHS Fife which is working with NHS Lothian and NHS Borders to address a shared shortfall was unable to rule out the closure of wards to new admissions when asked about the potential consequences.
A staff shortage forced NHS Lothian to stop admissions to the children’s ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston for three weeks during the summer.
Fife Council’s executive spokesman for health, Councillor Andrew Rodger, said: ”I would hope no patient has to travel outside Fife for treatment, other than for specialist treatment, and I will be asking for reassurance.
”Hospitals have to eliminate clinical risk, particularly when dealing with children, and they have to make sure there is the right back-up.”
Mr Rodger continued: ”If there are three doctors in one area and three in another, and they need six to be safe, they would have to centralise in one area.
”With the vast sum of money we have spent on facilities in Kirkcaldy it would be a shock to the people of Fife to find there are not enough doctors to provide the services.”
The three NHS boards issued a joint statement last week announcing that from February there will be only 34 of the 47 trainees needed out-of-hours at the five hospitals which provide paediatric and maternity services across the areas.
A reduction in the hours trainee doctors can work and experienced trainees taking other jobs has caused staffing difficulties across the UK.
There has also been an unprecedented level of maternity leave, more trainees working reduced hours and, due to changed immigration rules, a lack of available and experienced locum doctors.
Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: ”This will undoubtedly impact on patient care unless they are able to secure sufficient paediatricians to cover the rotas.
”If there is insufficient cover they will be looking at children’s wards potentially being centralised. For very specialist services people appreciate the need to travel, but the care of our children is something that should be delivered as locally as possible.”
The issue is to be discussed by NHS Fife on December 18.
NHS Fife medical director Dr Brian Montgomery said: ”NHS Fife would like to reassure everyone that currently we are running our children’s and maternity services fully staffed.
”The shortage of trainee doctors in paediatrics is an issue that we are working on with NHS Education for Scotland and our SEAT partners, NHS Lothian and NHS Borders, to look at various options to find a solution to the problem for the SEAT region.
”We are aware of the number of doctors needed for the SEAT region and will endeavour to find the best way to deploy the workforce across all of the boards.”