COLD WAR IN THE WARDS
Hospital emergency plan for winter illness
Health boards will set up emergency wards in hospitals across Scotland to cope with the flood of patients suffering from winter-related illnesses.
The Scottish Government announced the £3.4million boost to stop patients being discharged too early and prevent operations being cancelled to free up beds.
The money will be added to the £10million pledged to combat problems NHS Scotland face at this time of year including people suffering from conditions like flu and the norovirus vomiting bug.
Scotland’s largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, (NHSGGC) will receive the biggest share of the cash with NHS Lothian second in line.
NHSGGC revealed that five hospitals would be getting extra beds including Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
Gartnavel hospital in the west end of Glasgow is also to get an extra 24 beds.
Nursing staff received an email asking them to give up one of the days they work in their normal hospital each week to treat patients in the pop-up wards.
NHSGGC said “There is a greater demand for emergency beds during the winter months and the challenge is to admit all of these patients quickly and at the same time maintain our busy programme of planned surgery.”
Hea lth Secretar y Jeane Freeman added: “Winter creates particular pressures on our health and social care system, so it’s important that we are well prepared. Our £ 13.4mi l l ion investment will support health boards and health and social care partnerships to put appropriate steps in place, ensuring people are discharged in a timely way when it’s safe to do so and that the right staff are in place throughout the system.” Matt McLaughlin, regional organiser for Unison, said: “The Scottish Government can throw as much money at this as they like. But there is a national shortage of nurses and doctors.
“You can have a thousand more beds but if you don’t have the staff then you have a problem.” Norman Provan, of the Royal College of
Nursing Scotland, added: “Strategic long-term planning is needed that safeguards the public by guaranteeing they’re cared for by the right staff, in the right place, at the right time.”
Age Scotland’s head of policy, Adam Stachura, says it is vital that the elderly get hospital treatment during the winter.
Scot t ish Labour’s health spokeswoman, Monica Lennon, said: “NHS staff have been warning for months that our health service is struggling to cope and is not fully resourced to manage the additional pressures of winter.
“The Health Secretary has been quick to dismiss these concerns but we’re seeing hospitals becoming more reliant on temporary cabins and patients being turned away from their local hospitals.”