Although The Scottish Parliament only reconvenes for business on Tuesday the government held a meeting to discuss the pressures on the NHS last Friday.
The government’s resilience committee (SGoRR) was convened under the leadership of the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, along with Deputy First Minister John Swinney, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and other cabinet ministers and representatives of NHS boards, COSLA, Integration Joint Boards and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The Health Secretary is expected to deliver an update to parliament as soon as possible, outlining work to support the NHS. The measures taken target improving patient flow and ensuring that the patient receives the right care in the right setting. This can include home care using Hospital at Home or care from ambulance staff, all avoiding the need for a patient to attend hospital.
The First Minister said: “It is clear that health and social care is currently experiencing a period of intense and indeed unprecedented pressure. Staff are working exceptionally hard and have been doing so throughout the Christmas and New Year period. This comes after nearly three years of pandemic-related demands on the system, and we are all incredibly grateful to them for their efforts.
“I am clear that the Scottish Government must and will do everything it can to support our health and care service throughout the next few weeks. We remain in daily contact with Health Boards and there is already a huge amount of work being done, but we will leave no stone unturned to explore and implement any additional measures that could be taken to help alleviate pressures. With that in mind we will continue to work with all partners to implement actions that can help ensure the workforce is supported to deliver the high standards of care that we want everyone to receive.
“This will include actions to reduce unnecessary attendances at A&E – ensuring people get care in more appropriate settings, and those who need hospital care get it quickly, and also on effective discharge arrangements to reduce pressure on hospital occupancy. My thanks go to all those working incredibly hard across the whole health and care system during this period of exceptional pressure.”
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