Staff absences at Forth Valley Royal lead to 'concerns' over diagnostic services

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Staff absences and patients not turning up for appointments have had a big impact on Forth Valley Royal Hospital services including ultrasound, CT scans and endoscopy.

Members of Forth Valley NHS health board heard that the under-pressure hospital is gradually seeing improvements in many areas – but there are still concerns around diagnostic services.

All of these were seriously affected in the week leading up to Christmas and during the festive season, with a high number of staff self-isolating, coinciding with a significant rise in referrals.

The board was told that seven radiographers were isolating due to Covid over Christmas and into the new year. This led to many patients having long waits, taking them beyond the six-week target for ultrasound and CT scans.But NHS Forth Valley’s board members also heard that there had also been high numbers of patients not turning up, leading to wasted appointments.For ultrasound, more than 10 per cent of patients had failed to appear for their appointment.Chief executive Cathie Cowan told members that it was often a problem that people did not attend for appointments over the festive period and said it was “really disappointing”.Falkirk Live brings you the latest headlines from Falkirk and beyond.But did you know all the ways you can stay informed with us?We share live news and exclusive scoops every day so make sure you're following us so we can keep you informed on all things Falkirk!And that traditional problem had been made worse this year.Swabbing to test for Covid is required in advance for endoscopy and many people were reluctant to jeopardise their celebrations.However, board members heard that while the problems were worse at Christmas they are part of ongoing issues