Overnight closures of Kirkcaldy”s accident and emergency unit are likely to continue until the Victoria Hospital”s new wing opens in 2012, health bosses have admitted to The Courier.
NHS Fife operational division’s chief executive John Wilson and medical director Dr Gordon Birnie were responding to concerns over shortages of medical staff and reconfiguration of services.
Recurring staffing problems have forced NHS Fife to repeatedly implement its contingency plan to downgrade A&E and suspend acute medical admissions overnight, with emergency cases transferred to Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline.
The plan is in place until Friday morning. NHS Fife said keeping both Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline casualty units open while there was insufficient staff would compromise patient safety.
Mr Wilson said drawing up rotas for Victoria and Queen Margaret Hospitals had proved impossible at times because of problems recruiting junior doctors, EU restrictions on working hours and difficulties hiring locums from abroad for out-of-hours cover.
Fife health services are being reorganised under the Right for Fife process, drawn up in 2002. Mr Wilson said when the new wing opens in about 18 months in-patient services would be amalgamated at Victoria. Having these on one site would require fewer out-of-hours staff, so staffing issues would be resolved.
“Back in 2002 we recognised we could not maintain services at all three sites in all specialties,” he said. “When the new wing opens it will resolve several difficulties we are experiencing and the arrangements put in place will no longer need to be there.”
Medical graduates are recruited each August and next month NHS Fife hopes to fill as many vacant posts as possible.
“But I would not like to say we won’t use the contingency plan again. Often something happens at the last minute, like someone phones in sick on a Saturday morning and we can’t get a locum.
“I’m delighted by progress on the new building. It will be handed over to us in October 2011, on time and on budget.”
Dr Birnie gave assurances that the care received by patients would not be compromised by operating with fewer staff.
“Getting on to one site will reduce the number of rotas for junior doctors,” he said. “What we aim to do is improve and enhance the quality of service.
“We may have fewer doctors doing less hours but they will be working appropriately. We have no restrictions on recruiting because of funding.
“There has been an enormous consultation (on the new wing). Right across NHS Fife specialties each area has been involved in designing their part of the new building. I’m very confident that we will have an appropriate building and equipment delivered for the new models of care we need to deliver.”
The new building will accommodate 540 beds more than half of them in single rooms with en-suite facilities.
Minister for public health Shona Robison yesterday said, “My officials have been having ongoing discussions with the NHS Fife and I have been assured that all options are being explored to bring this situation to a close as quickly as possible.
“NHS Fife has a new intake of junior doctors… starting on August 4. NES, which recruits on behalf of health boards, has confirmed NHS Fife’s medical rota will only have one gap, for which a locum has been identified, and its A&E rota will be over 90%.
“Having those full staffing levels in place will allow NHS Fife to maintain its services without the need for further contingency.”