Extranhs cashto helpover thewinter

NHS Lanarkshire has received an additional £1.1 million to help cope with added pressures over the winter months.

The boost is part of a £10m funding package for health boards across the country announced by the Scottish Government, on top of the £9m already allocated to support unscheduled care all year round.

The investment aims “to support health and social care services to increase weekend discharges where patients are fit to go home”.

It will also “help boards with staff planning over the festive bank holidays, ensuring both admission and discharge rates can be maintained, with a focus on better use of community pharmacy and more support to direct people to the best service for them”.

Craig Cunningham, head of Commissioning and Performance for South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, welcomed the funding.

He said: “We welcome this extra financial support which will be targeted at those services best placed to ensure the continued delivery of health and social care services over the winter period when there is a greater demand on these services.

“Each year we develop a winter plan with partners including North and South Lanarkshire councils, Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS 24 to ensure we are all working together to keep the people of Lanarkshire healthy and safe.

“We can all help by taking simple steps to maintain good health through the winter period, such as taking up the flu vaccine and knowing which local services are best placed to help us.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced the funding. She said: “We know winter creates particular pressures on our health and social care system. It’s important we are well prepared and that’s why we are allocating funding earlier than ever before.

“This investment will ensure boards can put appropriate plans in place, particularly to make sure people are discharged in a timely way when it’s safe to do so, and that the right staff are in place throughout.”

It’s important we are well prepared [for winter] and that’s why we are allocating funding earlier