Non-emergency NHS operations being postponed

Demand: Rise in flu cases and slip injuries putting pressure on vital services

Fife has joined Tayside in postponing non-emergency operations amid warnings the NHS is under pressure like never before.

Health chiefs in the kingdom said routine elective surgeries are being put on hold amid record levels of stress on the service.

Nicola Sturgeon said the NHS is facing “unprecedented demands” this winter, but faced accusations her government has failed to give the service the resources it needs.

An average of 328 patients a day were seeking A&E treatment in Tayside and Fife in the week before Christmas, which is 17% up on the same period in 2016.

Health officials warned an increase in slips and falls due to the freezing weather was ramping up pressure on the service, while there had been large rises in cases of respiratory illnesses, such as the flu.

New figures from Health Protection Scotland showed the number of the people suffering from flu in Scotland had more than doubled in the last week of December, compared with the same week in 2016.

Tayside chiefs announced back in October that non-urgent elective operations will not take place in three of its hospitals between December 18 to January 8.

Paul Hawkins, chief executive of NHS Fife, said in the last few weeks they have “experienced a higher demand for our services than we have seen in previous years” and are postponing some procedures. “Additional capacity was made available ahead of any period of peaked demand,” he added.

“Despite this, it has been necessary to postpone a number of non-urgent planned operations in order that we maintain the standard of care for those who are most acutely unwell.

“We are working to reschedule all procedures as soon as is practical.”

Lesley Mclay, chief executive of NHS Tayside, said despite “exceptional” levels of illness, their teams “have pulled together to deliver the highest standard of care for patients and their families”.

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour’s health spokesman, said NHS staff are not being given the resources “they need and deserve to do their jobs”.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “We’re working with boards to help them cope with pressures and this year alone we have invested £22.4 million to create extra resilience across the system.”

gmcpherson@thecourier.co.uk

There is more than a hint of a crisis in our health service, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confessing it faces “unprecedented demands”. People with flu are being urged to stay away as hospitals struggle to cope with the sheer weight of those requiring treatment.

Although tempting to state health services should have been braced for such a winter influx, it is worth noting that emergency attendances in Tayside and Fife in the week before Christmas last year were up 17% on the same period in 2016.

Many of those admissions were the results of slips and falls, as icy weather caused havoc.

Since then, winter flu has kicked in, leading to many more hospital visits for ill Scots.

Tayside health bosses had tried to anticipate high demand, announcing several months ago that nonemergency operations would not take place at Dundee’s Ninewells, Stracathro Hospital in Angus or Perth Royal Infirmary from December 18 to January 8. Sadly it now appears such measures may not have gone far enough.

Earlier this week it was revealed that office workers were being drafted in to clean wards at NHS Lanarkshire, such were the issues being faced there.

There is no doubting the outstanding loyalty of NHS staff. Ensuring they have the means to provide the best possible care must be a top priority.