First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has explained this winter as 'the most challenging ever' in an address to the public. Ms Sturgeon held a briefing on Monday at 11am to address the overwhelming pressure faced by the NHS throughout Scotland.
The briefing follows a meeting of the Scottish Government resilience committee (SGoRR) - which took place on Friday, January 6 - where a response to the ongoing winter pressures of the health and social care system was discusssed.
During Monday's statement, the First Minister insisted that more must be done to avoid unnecessary visits to hospital as well as speeding up discharges to ease pressure and reduce the number of patients in hospital. It comes as hospitals across Scotland near breaking point, with many "almost completely full". Bed occupancy sat at 95 per cent last week.
