Tests and clinics set to resume
NHS Lothian is beginning to resume priority clinics, appointments and tests that were paused because of the coronavirus emergency.
The health board is taking the first steps towards the remobilisation of staff and services - however it will be some time before routine appointments return to normality.
Over the coming weeks, some priority clinics, appointments and diagnostic tests that were stopped during the pandemic will be gradually resumed.
Covid-19, however, still poses a real risk to both patients and staff so clinical assessment and risk analysis will support all decisions regarding what services can be initiated or increased.
Wards and departments will need to change and be altered to support the requirements of physical distancing and enhanced infection control measures.
As a result of all these factors, routine appointments will not be available for some months to come.
NHS Lothian is working with an initial, carefully planned mobilisation programme to begin the redesign of some services, where possible.
This will ensure that those patients who require urgent intervention based on clinical need, can be seen while ongoing preparation work continues to support the resumption of non-urgent routine appointments.
Urgent referrals and triage of priority services in key specialties such as cardiology, urology, and trauma and orthopaedics, will resume gradually from now on, with these clinically assessed patients being prioritised.
The home birth maternity service started up again on June 29, allowing expectant mums greater choice in birth options.
Some screening services, including priority endoscopy and other diagnostic tests, are working towards a gradual resumption and again will prioritise patients based on clinical need.
Community dental practices reopened from June 21, supported by NHS Lothian’s Urgent Dental Care Centres and Community optometry practices started to see patients with emergency and essential eye problems from June 29.
Despite these developments, NHS Lothian stressed that the return of all routine services was still some way off.
Given the ongoing risk Covid-19 poses and the need to maintain separate areas for patients with Covid-19, protect those who are shielding, and to incorporate physical distancing and other enhanced infection control measures, services will not return to normal capacity for many months at least.
Jim Crombie, deputy chief executive, NHS Lothian, said: “I would like to thank our patients for their continued understanding and support during these difficult times when many have had their appointments delayed. Over the last few months we have adapted our entire system to meet the demands of a pandemic, while continuing to provide emergency and urgent care and maternity services, as well as support for social care. It is important to grasp however that ‘normal service’ will not be resuming and unfortunately this means many people will have to wait longer for access to services, particularly non-urgent, routine appointments. I understand how frustrating it is to have appointments delayed, but would like to offer assurance that across NHS Lothian, we are working extremely hard to get things moving again.”
Health boards across Scotland are using the NHS Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design framework to safely and incrementally prioritise services and have submitted plans until the end of July.
Mr Crombie stressed that things would look different in both hospital and community settings for patients who do have urgent appointments.
He added: “It is really important that if you need care or treatment you attend your appointment. We have made adjustments to enhance stringent infection prevention and control measures and to ensure that physical distancing requirements can be met, helping services to run as safely as possible. Appointment letters may ask people to come by themselves, arrive only five minutes early and to maintain social distancing when they are in waiting rooms.”