Yousaf urges public to help take winter pressure off NHS

A new campaign urging people to include health as part of their festive preparations has been launched by Humza Yousaf, as he warned the NHS is facing its “most challenging” winter.

The health secretary launched the Healthy Know How winter campaign at NHS 24’s newest contact centre in Hillington, Glasgow.

It is hoped that by following tips and advice provided by the campaign, people will be able to enjoy the festivities without having to seek healthcare unless it is urgent.

The tips include keeping up to date with prescriptions, ensuring the right medicine is on hand to deal with any illnesses, and knowing how to check symptoms if people become unwell.

Mr Yousaf said: “This is going to be the most challenging winter for our health service, and a lot of the ailments for which people access out-of-hours care can be easily managed at home.

“NHS 24’s 111 service is always busy over the holiday period, but roughly a third of calls to 111 result in safe, self-care advice at home.

“If this campaign can encourage people to care for common seasonal conditions at home, that will leave our frontline services free to help those with more serious conditions.”

The launch came as the proportion of people testing positive for Covid-19 in Scotland continued to fall.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows an estimated 83,700 people in private households had Covid in the week ending November 15.

This equates to around one in 65 people, down from one in 55 the previous week.

There were 40 deaths registered in the week to November 20, seven fewer than the previous week.