First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that this winter is without a doubt the worst that the NHS in Scotland has faced, and has praised the working staff.
The First Minister has accepted the toll that the pressures of working are having on staff, and pointed out that the NHS was under pressure before the pandemic hit. Ms Sturgeon appeared today (January 9) at a news briefing on the state of the NHS in Scotland.
Read on below to find out more about all the key points in her statement, and what the Scottish Government is planning to do to ease the weight on NHS staff.
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Additional NHS 24 recruited during festive season
Nicola Sturgeon said that the impact of Covid, flu and Strep A is clear on hospitals across the country. The First Minister highlights record levels of calls to NHS 24.
Additional NHS 24 staff were recruited in the run up to Christmas, Ms Sturgeon confirms.
The overwhelming majority of calls were dealt with by the call and without the need for hospital admission.
Meanwhile, the ambulance service responded to 16,000 incidents in the last week, she adds.
Hospital discharges to be sped up with extra funding
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated that a plan is being put in place to speed up discharges from hospitals in Scotland.
The First Minister confirms that additional care home beds will be funded by the Scottish Government in an effort to let staff prepare care packages in the right amount of time.
Ms Sturgeon added that despite the measures taken, "hospitals right now are currently almost completely full."
She turns to delayed discharges and says the vast majority of people, some 96 per cent, do leave hospital when they should.
There has been a "slight reduction" in delayed discharges but there are still 1,700 people currently in hospital who don't need to be there.
Escalation possibilities for key areas of NHS
The First Minister explained that the use of Government powers to take further action will be continually under review.
Nicola Sturgeon did state that NHS staff are continuing to deliver excellent care, but in some key areas, he system is not providing the speed of treatment desired.
Ms Sturgeon says significant action to address this is already under way, for example £600m extra funding in October.
She points to the draft budget and an increase in health revenue of £1bn in the next financial year.
A message for the public to utilise extra services like NHS Inform
The First Minster highlighted that the NHS is there for people who need it, but encouraged people to make use of services available - such as NHS Inform and NHS 24.
Those in need should use these services if conditions are not serious or life threatening to help relieve some pressure on services like the ambulance service and A&E department across Scotland.
Nicola Sturgeon agrees that "more needs to be done" to reduce unnecessary attendance in hospitals, as well as tackling delayed discharges.
She confirms NHS 24 staffing will increase further and there is a new app coming, as well as extensive self-help guides.
Ms Sturgeon says primary care capacity is being maximised.
And the First Minister concluded that there will be more cash for health and social care partnerships, with details to come in a statement in Holyrood on Tuesday (January 10).
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