Mobile diagnostic units could be used to screen patients all across Scotland

Mobile screening units could be deployed across Scotland to try to tackle the NHS backlog, its chief executive has said.

John Connaghan told Holyrood’s Health Committee that NHS Scotland is considering using mobile diagnostic services, such as CT scans, with health boards asked to re-establish screening services by the end of July.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman confirmed regular screening services will resume “very soon” as part of the gradual reopening of the NHS but it needs to keep spare capacity in case of a second wave of coronavirus.

She also said most NHS staff are “physically and emotionally exhausted” from dealing with the pandemic and former workers who have returned on a temporary basis could be asked to stay longer as a result.

Asked about diagnostic services,

Mr Connaghan said the health service is giving “active consideration” to whether it can “source and deploy some mobile units across Scotland to bring the service to patients”.

“We have asked boards to respond on the basis of re-establishing urgent services – and that includes diagnostics – for the end of

July,” Mr Connaghan said.

“That’s the first phase of re-establishing those services for the NHS in Scotland.

“Our next phase, which will be from the end of July right through to the end of the financial year in March 2021, is really much more important now in terms of tackling what backlog is there. We need to consider the balance of risks over the next six to nine months in terms of maintaining a Covid-19 response in the system, dealing with the backlog, but also considering workforce, and more importantly the impact of the winter that’s coming in 2021.”

Giving evidence to the committee, Ms Freeman said resuming cancer screening services is a “priority area” for the Scottish Government, describing previously paused breast screening as the “main challenge”.

Ms Freeman said: “We cannot flick a switch and turn our NHS back on as it was, for example, in November or December last year. That is simply not possible for a number of reasons.

“First of all, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, we still have Covid-19 cases, we still have a virus to suppress and control, and we need to retain capacity to ensure that we could cope with a second wave if one comes at all. That is vitally important.

“We also have a health service where a significant proportion of its workforce are both physically and emotionally exhausted from the efforts that they have put in to address the immediate pandemic response that has gone on for very many weeks.”