SNP under fire over claims of NHS Christmas crisis
HEALTH chiefs have said “robust plans” are in place to deal with the impact of the Christmas holidays on the NHS, despite fears that A&E departments could become overwhelmed with patients when GP practices close their doors.
Most family doctors surgeries are to close for eight days over the Christmas and New Year period, leading the College of Emergency Medicine to state it has “genuine concerns” over a lack of alternative medical provision.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said more than £18m had been invested to help health boards prepare for winter, with the cash going towards tackling delayed discharges and easing pressure in emergency departments.
However, the SNP came under fire from opposition MSPs, who said more should have been done to ensure services could cope during the winter period.
Under the terms of their contract, family doctors have not been obliged to offer out of hours care since 2004. However, the fact that weekends immediately follow two-day Christmas and New Year breaks this year, coupled with increased strain on emergency departments caused by problems recruiting doctors and soaring patient numbers, have sparked concern that hospitals could face a crisis this Christmas.
Some health boards have offered financial incentives to GPs to open up over Christmas, however in the Grampian region, only one has agreed.
The Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland said that it was vital that surgeries informed patients about opening times and how to access out of hours services. It moved to reassure patients that normal services would be running on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between Christmas and New Year.