Sturgeon admits the ‘NHS faces a very, very challenging winter’
NICOLA Sturgeon has insisted that the NHS has enough beds and staff to cope with “an impending winter storm” but has admitted the situation will be “very, very challenging”.
The First Minister, who announced an additional 39 coronavirus deaths and 1,216 new cases, said Scotland’s R number, the infection rate, is now “hovering around one”, but added “we have to continue to be careful and cautious”.
Ms Sturgeon was pressed at First Minister’s Questions over how prepared hospitals are as we head into the winter to cope with a surge in the virus.
The concerns were raised following comments made by Professor Jackie Taylor, the president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, who has warned that Scotland could face “a perfect storm” this winter.
Scottish Conservative Holyrood leader Ruth Davidson pressed the First Minister over the issue and concern over “an impending winter storm”.
Ms Sturgeon stressed that “we are not short right now of beds or staff”, but added that “we do face a very, very challenging winter”.
She added: “We are also working hard to ensure that the capacity of our National Health Service is managed in a way that can cope with whatever Covid-19 throws at us over the winter, and also as far as possible continue to treat without cancellation of elective or planned operations.”
Ms Davidson asked about the Scottish Government’s winter preparedness plan announced last week, which states it would “not be appropriate” to use medical students to help deal with staff shortages, as happened during the first lockdown.
She claimed that it leaves a “very substantial gap” of approximately 3,000 people unable to help in hospitals.
Ms Davidson added: “We know from the stark intervention from the heads of the Royal Colleges of their grave reservations of how prepared we really are for the pressures of winter.
“The winter preparedness plan gives no detail of how it will find or recruit extra staff in the absence of student mobilisation. Doctors and nurses are already under pressure and they need reinforcements.”
Ms Sturgeon indicated that Health Secretary Jeane Freeman is working on a “winter workforce plan” and stressed the NHS can still access the General Medical Council’s emergency register and recruit from a “pool” of retired and former healthcare workers.
Ms Davidson also highlighted a man whose father died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and asked what ministers are doing to stop mixing of Covid and non-virus patients.
The First Minister said hospitals have “red zones and green zones” to segregate patients according to whether they are infected with Covid-19 or have been in contact with someone with the virus. She added: “It is absolutely the case that we expect hospitals to separate Covid-19 and non-covid-19 patients along with the red and the green zone plan that I’ve spoken about.
“We obviously expect and trust those working in our health service to manage demand and capacity in a way that is clinically appropriate.”
Scottish Greens health spokesperson Alison Johnstone said Professor Taylor “also called for a coherent strategy for testing staff and hospital patients”.
She added: “The Scottish Greens wrote to the Scottish Government on April 25 to call for weekly testing for those who work in our care homes and hospitals.
“Testing for care home staff was announced on 25 May.
“Someone could still be working in a Scottish hospital with Covid and not even know it.”
Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie said that Scotland was “behind the curve” when it comes to testing.
He added: “The First Minister was dismissive of Libdem proposals to test students and dismissive of proposals to test those arriving in Scottish airports.
“It is now clear that this was a mistake and these failures allowed the virus to gain a new foothold.
“The Scottish Government needs to show some ambition. Even if we were just to start with the worst hit regions, or the groups which have seen the most dramatic outbreaks, it would be a step in the right direction.”