Scottish government announces further NHS winter support

Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf has announced funding of at least £8 million to help the NHS and social care cope with ongoing winter pressures.

£8 million will be available for Health and Social Care partnerships to procure around 300 additional care beds to help counter pressures caused by delayed discharge. There are already 600 interim care beds in operation.

NHS 24 is also planning to recruit around 200 new starters before the end of March.

Yousaf said: “This is the most challenging winter the NHS in Scotland has ever faced and the immediate pressure will continue for the coming weeks. My thanks to all health and social care staff for their incredible efforts during these exceptionally challenging times.

“We are ensuring all possible actions are being taken to support services, and the additional measures I have outlined today will help relieve some of the extreme pressure Health Boards are facing. We know one of the most significant issues our NHS is facing is delayed discharge, that is why I have announced further support to buy additional capacity in the care sector.

“NHS 24 has a vital role in referring people to appropriate urgent care services outside of hospitals and plans to increase staff numbers over the course of winter,  will help the service deal with increases in demand.

“Emergency care will always be there for those who need it, but for many people, the best advice and support might be available on the NHS Inform website or the NHS 24 App, or by calling NHS 24, so I would encourage people to make use of these services as many are already doing.”

Image by Alexander Grey from Pixabay