Health board - situation is 'improving' after critical incident declaration

NHS Grampian says conditions are improving after it declared a critical incident over "extreme pressure" on A&E services in two hospitals.

The incident was declared on Saturday after emergency departments at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin struggled to cope with demand.

An update earlier said no ambulances ambulances have had to divert to other health boards, as had been feared. The health board said colleagues at NHS Tayside remain on standby but both emergency departments are now better placed to support necessary care.

The critical incident has not yet been stood down.

It is the first such incident declared by the board since December 2024.

In a statement, NHS Grampian said it expects increased demand on its services over the coming days, with many GPs and pharmacies closed for a local public holiday on Monday.

The board's Shantini Paranjothy said: "We will stand down from critical incident footing as soon as it is safe and practical to do so. Capacity within our hospitals remains challenged and extreme pressures on care within the community continue.

"We are pulling together with partners including NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), GMED and our health and social care staff across Grampian to make sure every possible resource is maximised and the delivery of care is as smooth as possible."

She asked patients worried about symptoms to call NHS 24 on 111 and thanked the teams working across the area for their support.

"We apologise to anyone whose care has taken longer than we would like this weekend and would encourage you to engage with your health and social care teams if you have any concerns," she added.

The Scottish government defines a critical incident as any localised disruption which results in a board "losing its ability to deliver critical services, or, where patients and staff may be at risk of harm".

The last critical incident declared in Scotland was due to an IT fault at NHS Highland in June 2025.

Earlier, Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr described the move as "deeply concerning".

"Lives are being put at risk, staff are under intolerable strain, and patients are bearing the brunt of the crisis that is continuing to unfold at the health board," he said.

"It's extremely worrying that ambulances are having to be diverted, in some cases hundreds of miles, to the Highlands and Tayside. This simply should not be happening."

Health Secretary Angela Constance said the Scottish government is committed to improving A&E performance and tackling long delays.

"While the challenges facing Scotland are not unique compared to the rest of the UK, I am focused on ensuring people get the care they need as quickly as possible and the status quo cannot continue," she said.

"That is why I have published a new national plan to improve the flow of patients through hospitals and why we have provided £90 million of dedicated funding to support those waiting the longest for treatment.

"It is also why our reforms of the NHS will focus directly on improving services for patients and removing the current bureaucratic barriers in place."

Constance said it was important to note that pressures on A&E wards are affected by "delayed discharge of patients into social care settings".

She said this was the responsibility of local councils and all sides must work together on the issue.