Fears NHS will be challenged by ‘perfect storm’ this winter
●Leading medics voice concerns as cases of mutant strain of virus grow
NHS Scotland is at risk of being overwhelmed as S cottish medics state they are “gravely concerned” that the combination of Covid-19 and the challenging winter period could create a “perfect storm” for the healthcare system.
The comments from members of the S cottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties came as an additional 740 cases of Covid-19 were reported in Scotland yesterday, with 12.3 per cent of tests coming back positive.
For the pandemic to be considered under control, test positivity should stay below 5 percent, the World Health Organisation has said. The warnings from the medics also came as the S cottish Conser vatives said they should come as “no surprise” to the Scottish Government and called on more cash to be spent on the NHS to help tackle Covid-19.
Before Christmas, around 40 per
cent of the new cases of Covid -19 in Scotland during the week beginning December 14 were considered to be caused by the new “highly transmissible” strain of the virus, up from 14 per cent the week before.
Fears in the Scottish Government of the potential impact of the new strain led to the effective lockdown across mainland Scotland.
However, the warnings from the medics’ organisation, which includes representatives from the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, also stressed the importance of the public playing their part.
Label ling the situation “bleak” despite the approval of the Astrazeneca vaccine being imminent, the organisation warned the NHS is already “severely stretched”.
It said :“Scotland has been able to reduce infection rates but the news train is highly infectious and will undoubtedly increase the rate of Covid-19 infection and hospital admissions in the days and weeks ahead.
“We are gravely concerned that this could lead to the NHS being overwhelmed.”
The public were also urged not to let their guard down, with the medics warning of hospitals close to reaching capacity.
It said: “Our general practices are exceptionally busy and our hospitals are already near capacity. We risk facing a ‘perfect storm’ of challenges if we don’t take collective action now to prevent further spread of Covid-19.”
Stressing the Scottish Government should look at all possible measures to restrict the spread of Covid-19, the group warned that the impact of vaccines would take months to come through.
The group added that “all other potential measures to decrease community transmission should be considered by the Government”.
It said :“This is ur gently required so our NHS can focus on three key tasks – rolling out the vaccine programme, continuing with the rapid testing programmes and providing emergency care for Covid as well as other medical prob - lems.”
Scottish Labour health spokesperson Monica Lennon said it was critical the Scottish Government heeded the “stark warning” from the Scottish Academy.
She said: “Resourcing and strengthening our NHS so that people get the right care when they need it must be a national priority.
“Thousands of people have already missed out on vital healthcare this year.
“That’s why we need a government that is focused on investing in frontline staff and tackling waiting times, instead of gaming for an independence referendum .”
Donald Cameron, the Scottish Conservatives’ health spokesperson, label led the warnings “dire” and said they should come as no shock to the Scottish Government.
He said: “These dire warnings, however, should come as no surprise to SNP ministers, who have been told for months that the NHS is nearing capacity during the second wave of this virus–not to mention the impact caused by the backlog of cancelled operations which has built up during the pandemic.
“The UK Government has supercharged Scotland’s funding in the face of Covid-19 with over £8billion extra contrib - uted for spending, including for the NHS.
“It is the responsibility of SNP ministers to make sure health funding gets to the right place, and they now need to step up to the plate, and quickly.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Har vie added: “What needs to happen now is that the NHS and other support services are adequately resourced to deal with a perfect storm of addressing any back log, delivering the vaccine, winter pressures and complications resulting from a needless and damaging Brexit.”