NHS Orkney issued a statement this afternoon following news that all non-urgent Aberdeen surgery has been cancelled until April due to a lack of cash.

The statement confirms that patient numbers due to travel to Aberdeen for treatment under the Grampian University Hospital Trust (GUHT) exceeded the budgeted figure for the current financial year.

The decision has caused major concerns among local medical practitioners, who have hit out at the board over taking the action without prior consultation with them and their patients.

The statement responds: "The Board acknowledges and full understands their concern but has a statutory responsibility to operate within its financial obligation…"

Full statement is as follows:

The Board of NHS Orkney has been alerted, through contract monitoring, of a forecast over activity of 27% against the level of off-island clinical activity undertaken on our behalf by Grampian University Hospital Trust (GUHT). This level of activity will exceed the financial allocation made at the start of the financial year and is therefore unsustainable. While ensuring that clinically urgent cases are dealt with appropriately we have regrettably had to delay non-urgent elective clinical activity until after 31 March this year in order to redress the situation. We have however imposed three caveats to ensure this action has as little effect on the well being of our patients as possible.

• Emergency interventions should continue in line with the required clinical needs of individual patients
• Clinically urgent cases should continue to be dealt with where the Consultant feels that postponement of treatment would significantly impact on his/her patient's health.
• Clinical activity to prevent breaches to nationally agreed waiting times should continue.

The Local Medical Committee of NHS Orkney, the professional representative organisation of the medical practitioners and consultants, has expressed its censure of the Board over taking this action and for the lack of prior consultation with them and their patients. The Board acknowledges and fully understands their concern but has a statutory responsibility to operate within its financial allocation, and once notified of the over activity was obliged to take immediate action.

The Board, through consultation with the Service Redesign Committee and the local Health Council will do everything possible to maintain the current situation where Orkney patients consistently enjoy the shortest waiting times in Scotland. This will be achieved by detailed consideration of the recommendations made during the "Healthfit" event last December, including returning appropriate clinical services to Orkney. Where service provision is more appropriately provided elsewhere this will be through contracts agreed not only by the Board but also by the appropriate clinical committees.

Patients will be advised by letter if their treatment has been delayed and wherever possible will be given another date. The Board wishes to apologise to these patients for any anxiety that this will undoubtedly cause. We wish to reassure everyone that the situation is being constantly monitored and that all decisions by consultants to carry out treatment will be respected.