NHS Grampian position remains ‘very busy and challenging’

He said capacity was a key issue, and needed to be bigger.

NHS Grampian is seeking about 120 extra beds, with 30 of those already in place.

“The critical incident was an issue we absolutely had to pick up, and of course I am very sorry to anyone that was affected by that, anyone that had to go out of area or had procedures postponed,” he said.

“My sincere apologies to them and I hope they can understand the position we were in.

“And to add to that, the efforts of our staff, everyone absolutely went the extra mile.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray has said he wants to avoid further critical incidents at emergency departments this winter.