Staff at a West Lothian hospital have been assaulted and inexperienced nurses have been left struggling to run wards amidst a staffing crisis, it has been claimed.

The problems are at St John’s Hospital, Livingston. One source told The Ferret that the current situation was  “10 times worse” than it was during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unions said there are similar issues across Scottish hospitals, pointing out the NHS is currently under immense pressure due to 6000 nurse vacancies.

The concerns over staffing at St John’s Hospital follow similar issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. They were highlighted by nurses who said they are suffering stress and fear as a result of staffing levels.

In a letter to the board at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, as reported by The Sunday Post last weekend, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned that nurses are under such pressure some are going off sick or quitting their jobs.

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