NHS staff shortages have meant that some hospitals’ ability to carry out operations has been slashed by a third.

Every hospital in the north-east has seen a drop in theatre availability and a reduction in the number of operations since 2015.

At ARI, the average weekly surgical time dropped by 10% – from 790.85 hours to 715.59 hours.

Over the same period, Woodend Hospital saw a 29% drop in surgeries, to 131.65 hours.

North-east Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald said the figures show the “real cost of under staffing and under funding”.

Mr Macdonald did however acknowledge that the addition of a major trauma centre this Autumn could lift the burden on healthcare in the region.

He said: “Launching the major trauma unit at Foresterhill this October can help address the recruitment challenge.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “The public will be aware of the challenges we have faced around theatre staffing in the last 18 months.

“Safety in our theatres is parmount and these issues mean we can only carry out procedures when and where we have appropriate staffing.”