A £50 million funding boost for Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) recruitment and up to £12 million to expand Hospital at Home are among measures to support the health and care system this winter.
The Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Winter Plan, published this week, identifies new funding for SAS to support work already underway to recruit a further 317 frontline staff to help increase capacity to emergency response. It will also see 18 additional clinicians working in the call centre hub who, through additional triage, can offer patients alternative treatment routes in cases which are not time-critical, reducing the number of hospital admissions.
The expansion of Hospital at Home, which enables people to be treated at home rather than on a ward, is intended to deliver at least 380 additional beds this winter – significantly increasing the total service capacity.
The Scottish Government has been working closely with COSLA, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and NHS Boards on a number of further measures to ensure they are prepared for the winter period. This includes a Delayed Discharge Action Plan and improvements to the reporting of data to better identify specific areas for further support or escalation.
Commenting, MSP for Renfrewshire North and West, Natalie Don, said:
“The workforce within Renfrewshire’s health and social care sector, and across Scotland, are outstanding, and so I very much welcome this investment from the Scottish Government, which is vital in ensuring we deliver high quality care for the public as we approach the winter period.
“The Scottish Government are in no doubt that this winter will be extremely challenging. This Winter plan builds on the lessons they have learned from previous years and preparations have been on-going since spring. The whole system approach is based on ensuring people can access the care that is right for them – at the right time and in the right place.
“The additional investment of up to £12 million to expand the Hospital at Home service will allow people, especially elderly patients, patients with respiratory conditions and children, to receive treatments in the comfort of their own home and will crucially help reduce pressure on our A&E departments this winter.
“Furthermore, as a result of the Scottish Government’s significant investment of over £15 million, an additional 1,000 nurses, midwives and Allied Health Professional from overseas have joined NHS Scotland in the last two years to bolster our existing workforce this winter. The £50 million funding boost for the Scottish Ambulance Service will also help tackle increased demand and support on-going recruitment to drive up capacity for emergency response and reduce the need for people to go to hospital.”