NHS services in Scotland to resume gradually, says Health Secretary

NHS services which were suspended due to coronavirus are to start resuming incrementally, according to the Health Secretary.

Health boards will use a framework known as "remobilise, recover, redesign" to prioritise services with an aim of ensuring that staff and patients are safe.

Patients have been warned their experience will seem different and may often take longer because of the demands of ensuring safety.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: "Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic NHS Scotland has remained open, continuing to provide emergency, urgent, cancer and maternity care, support for social care and maintained Covid-19 capacity and resilience.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.

“Thanks to the efforts of our healthcare staff and to all of us for continuing to follow public health advice, we have been able to protect our health service and provide the urgent care required to combat the virus.

“The Scottish Government is working with health boards to ensure the safe resumption of paused NHS services.

“We are doing this incrementally to ensure we prioritise patient and staff safety, whilst retaining capacity to treat Covid-19 in our health service, but good progress is being made.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Patients should not expect to see all NHS services resumed immediately as it will take time to ensure physical distancing and other safety measures are in place to protect patients and staff."

The announcement comes as Scotland moves into phase two of easing restrictions and a number of measures will come into force during this stage.

Urgent referrals and triage of routine services in key specialities are set to resume and health boards will reintroduce any suspended GP services with greater use of telephone and video consultations.

From Monday, all dental practices will be able to open and treat patients in need of urgent dental care.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Health boards will be able to gradually resume some screening services as of Monday June 29, while all community optometry practices will be able to resume seeing patients face-to-face who have emergency and essential eye problems.

From Monday July 6, some chronic disease management will resume, such as pain services and diabetic services, on an incremental basis.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.

Dare to be Honest
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice