Army medics sent in to under-pressure NHS areas to cut wait times
MILITARY doctors and nurses are being drafted into acute hospitals in Lanarkshire and the Borders amid “significant pressure” from staff shortages and treatment backlogs.
Health chiefs at NHS Borders said army medics would help it to “bridge the gap” and reduce waiting times for operations until it can recruit extra NHS staff.
It comes after the health board was forced to cancel nearly a quarter of all its planned procedures in August on the day of, or the day before, a patient was scheduled for surgery due to capacity constraints.
NHS Lanarkshire also welcomed the military support, saying staff absences due to Covid-19 had left it unable to provided enough beds to meet demand.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, who last week unveiled
£300 million of extra funding to bolster health and social care services through winter, said the NHS was “experiencing significant pressure” due to Covid and the backlog in care built up during the pandemic.
He said: “In the NHS Borders and NHS Lanarkshire areas, staff shortages because of Covid-19 are affecting bed capacity and temporary military assistance has been requested to support the boards at this time.
“With increasing levels of social mixing and close social contact, it is expected that this winter
Covid-19 will circulate alongside respiratory viruses, such as flu, adding to the winter pressures usually faced by the NHS.
“This military support will allow both boards to support existing staff to reduce waiting times, enhance care and provide a better experience for our patients.”
A total of 86 military personnel – nurses, army medics, general troops, drivers and organisers – will be deployed from Tuesday for at least three weeks.
Less than a month ago army personnel were asked to help drive Scotland’s ambulances amid a staffing crisis that had caused deteriorating response times.
The latest move also comes days after figures revealed the worst ever waiting times in A&E, with a record 591 patients spending more than 12 hours in emergency departments in the week ending October 3 – far exceeding what would normally be seen even in winter.
While A&E attendances overall remain in line with pre-pandemic averages, the waiting-times figures are a key signal of the pressures facing hospital wards in terms of beds and staffing since the majority of A&E patients spending 12 or more hours in emergency departments are people earmarked for admission – but delayed due to a lack of available beds.
From October 19, NHS Lanarkshire will have the support of three army nurses, 45 medics,
12 general duty troops and three drivers to work in acute settings.
NHS Borders will receive two nurses, 14 medics, a driver and four additional military personnel to help in acute settings.
A further two military medics will oversee operations from the Army’s Scottish headquarters at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh.
Gareth Clinkscale, director of acute services at NHS Borders, said:“we are delighted to welcome military colleagues in to support our hospital.
“These are challenging times for the health service and this extra provision of staff will make a real difference for both our patients and staff.
“Army personnel will help bridge the gap while we recruit more staff ahead of the winter months.” Mr Clinkscale said the additional support means the health board “will be increasing the number of operations that we can deliver”, but stressed that “all of our patients are continuing to be clinically prioritised so that those in the most need are cared for first”.
NHS Borders and Lanarkshire were among several health boards to pause the majority of their non-urgent elective procedures in August, amid a spike in Covid and an increasing number of patients presenting at A&E with serious health problems requiring an urgent admission.
Hospital pressures have also been exacerbated by vacancies and resource strain in the social care sector, evidenced by a rising number of beds ‘blocked’ by mostly elderly patients who are well enough to be discharged but require either a home-care package or a care home place.
The number of acute beds being lost to delayed discharges is up 43% since May.
Judith Park, director of acute services at NHS Lanarkshire, said military support with be deployed at all three of its acute hospital sites in Wishaw, Monklands and Hairmyres.
Ms Park added: “Military staff will be on site from Tuesday 19th October initially until 10th November but this will be regularly reviewed.
“NHS Lanarkshire is experiencing significant pressure at the moment because of Covid admissions and the backlog in care built up during the pandemic and we are taking a range of steps to introduce additional capacity in order to help with the unprecedented pressures on our health and care system.
“Staff shortages because of Covid19 are affecting bed capacity and the approval of temporary military assistance on our hospital sites is very welcome over the next few weeks as we begin to see winter illnesses circulate alongside Covid adding to the pressures we face.”
Brigadier Ben Wrench, commander of the Joint Military Command in Scotland, said: “The Armed Forces in Scotland, as always, stand ready to support civil society in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
“The ability of trained military healthcare professionals and their support team to deploy at short notice and provide short-term support to cover a critical gap shows the utility of the armed forces and the strength of the ongoing relationship with partner civilian organisations.”
It comes as Covid cases, which had been falling steeply in Scotland since early September, are showing signs of plateauing.
A total of 16,967 cases were reported in the seven days to October 15, up by 1.3% compared to the previous week and in contrast to the 11% reduction in cases seen between the week ending October 1 and the week ending October 8.
The number of patients in hospital with Covid - a lag indicator for infections - is continuing to fall.
Lanarkshire currently has 82 Covid patients in hospital, down from 113 a fortnight ago, with Borders seeing a reduction from 11 to seven patients over the same period.