Chronic staff shortages have left patients in Aberdeen facing a two-year wait to access hearing aids, health chiefs have admitted.
NHS Grampian said each of its audiologist’s are responsible for 8,000 more patients than other health boards in Scotland.
The health board’s interim Chief Eexuctive said they were “underfunded” by the Scottish Government for audiology.
And they said that the lack of an audiology degree course in Scotland has been a major factor in the recruitment struggles which has forced NHS Grampian to look to other parts of the UK and overseas for staff.