Staff shortage hits Dumfries and Galloway out-of-hours health service
- Published
Staff shortages are set to hit an NHS out-of-hours service in south west Scotland.
Patients in Dumfries and Galloway have been warned that they may have to wait "longer than normal" to be seen this weekend.
The non-urgent service is provided outside GP practice hours.
However, NHS Dumfries and Galloway said staff shortages were likely to have an impact - especially between 13:00 and 23:30 on Saturday.
"It's an unwelcome situation, but one which currently appears unavoidable," said service manager Di Anderson.
"Our challenges around staffing a service which runs overnight and at weekends are well documented.
"We are currently pursuing measures to address the situation and increase our staffing levels."
Anyone requiring non-urgent medical assistance which is not an emergency has been asked to contact NHS 24.
For emergency situations they should take the "appropriate course of action, such as dialling 999".