Extreme pressures impacting on NHS services

Due to a combination of staff absences and high levels of patient activity, services across NHS Dumfries and Galloway are currently under extreme pressure.

Patients should be aware that they are likely to experience very long waits for access to treatment at our emergency departments for all but life-threatening conditions.

Although we will do our best to undertake planned surgical procedures, there is likely to be some disruption to this capacity over the next few days – with the possibility of a number of short notice cancellations.

We apologise for what we hope will be short-term limitations on the services being provided, and ask for everyone’s patience as we do all that we can to try and address and improve a situation borne out of factors affecting not just Dumfries and Galloway.

Anyone requiring assistance in an emergency should dial 999. If it is urgent but not an emergency, dialling 111 is the best course of action.

For non-urgent issues, please pause and consider where you can obtain the help or information you require, with information available from the national website www.nhsinform.scot