Dozens of surgeries have been delayed as a result of staff shortages at NHS Grampian.

A lack of theatre nurses has forced doctors to postpone routine operations at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Woodend Hospital.

Between January 1 and the middle of the month, 29 procedures had been affected out of 468.

They included operations like cataracts removals but not essential surgeries for life-threatening conditions.

Seven new nurses have been recruited and are due to start work in March but 30 vacancies remain unfilled.

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: "Rearranging elective procedures is a last resort for us and is done according to clinical prioritisation: our most clinically urgent patients will still be seen.

"We understand this is an anxious time for patients and their safety is our top priority. It is essential that we have in place the appropriate staff and postoperative care arrangements prior to performing a procedure.

"We are contacting patients directly to inform them of postponements and aim to give them as much notice as possible."

She continued: "In general terms, we face some challenges around recruitment due to the comparatively high cost of living in the region, the availability of suitable and affordable accommodation and more lucrative opportunities in the private sector.

"Theatre nurse vacancies in particular have been difficult to fill due to the requirement to try and train staff in what is a complex area of nursing.

"Normally when staffing is at a sufficient level, staff rotate specialties, gaining more knowledge and skills in a variety of different areas and subsequently building more resilience into the service."

The spokeswoman added: "It must be noted that this is not solely a staffing issue. We have seen some extremely ill patients both during and after the festive period and this has placed pressure on our critical care services."

NHS Grampian has struggled to recruit and retain nurses in recent years, forcing it to rely heavily on agency staff.

The health board spent £70,000 on agency nurses in 2011/12 but by 2015/16 this had risen more than 2700% to £2m.

NHS Grampian was given an extra £50m to help it tackle the problem in 2015.

About 30,000 operations are carried out in its hospitals every year and between 1% and 2% are rescheduled on average, according to the board.