Cancer treatments are being cancelled at a major health board due to unprecedented pressures in the health service.
NHS Lanarkshire also confirmed to staff the organisation has moved to code “black” - the highest risk level.
The staff email stated: The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority and we are working through short and medium term actions to increase staffing and also improve the flow of patients out of hospital.
"The military are providing additional support within our hospitals from today (Wednesday).
"Unfortunately, the current pressures mean we are having to further stand down elective (planned) procedures including some cancer procedures, which we will reschedule as soon as possible."
It continued: "The Strategic Command Group has agreed that the current situation marks a different level of risk for NHS Lanarkshire as a whole and moves our current status from Red to Black – the highest level. (The Scottish Government risk levels are Green, Yellow, Amber, Red, and Black.)."
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie, who revealed the email, said: “This astonishing move puts it beyond doubt that we are in the midst of a full-blown NHS crisis.
“It is a damning indictment of the SNP’s recovery plan that risk levels in Lanarkshire are now higher than they were when Covid was at its peak.
“Staff are working tirelessly to do right by patients, but services are simply stretched past breaking point.
“It is a national scandal that cancer operations are being cancelled when we are already playing catch-up and it is frankly terrifying that we have reached this point before winter has hit.
“Lives are on the line because of the SNP’s negligence.
“They need to wake up to the scale of the emergency they’ve created and come up with a recovery plan that is fit for purpose.”
Laura Ace, Strategic Commander and Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “NHS Lanarkshire is currently at critical occupancy levels across its three acute hospitals.
“The sustained pressure continues across our three acute hospitals and is showing no signs of easing. We are facing relentless pressures, bed shortages and staff shortages due to sickness, stress and self-isolation and University hospitals Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw are all at maximum capacity.
“The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority and we are working through short and medium term actions to increase staffing and also improve the flow of patients out of hospital. The military are providing additional support within our hospitals.
“We took the decision at the end of August to temporarily postpone the majority of non-urgent planned care procedures and, unfortunately, the current pressures mean we are having to further stand down elective (planned) procedures including some cancer procedures, which we will reschedule as soon as possible.
“The current situation is unprecedented and marks a different level of risk for NHS Lanarkshire as a whole and moves our current status to the highest level of risk.
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