Aboyne Community Hospital ward to close temporarily
It's hoped the situation will be resolved by the end of September
Aboyne Community Hospital's in-patient ward is closing on a temporary basis.
It's due to staffing shortages at the facility, with employees set to assist at wards in Glen O'Dee and Banchory.
The final patients in the ward are being discharged or transferred on Friday.
Councillor Geva Blackett broke the news on Facebook last night, saying: "We have been advised that due to staff shortages the in-patient facility at Aboyne hospital is being temporarily closed on Friday.
"We understand that this temporary situation will be resolved by the end of September when newly recruited staff are brought on board and others return from being off work."
It's been confirmed by Shona Strachan, Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) Manager for South Aberdeenshire.
Ms Strachan said: “We have had to make the very difficult decision to temporarily close the ward at Aboyne Community Hospital due to a shortage of nursing staff across the Deeside area.
"We are incredibly grateful to our wonderful nursing team at Aboyne who will be temporarily, supporting our two wards at Glen O’Dee Hospital in Banchory, until we re-open the ward at Aboyne.
“I would further add that the current situation does not have any bearing on the work we are doing through the Deeside and Donside Strategic Needs Assessment”
Councillors are meeting with managers from AHSCP on Friday.