Private hospitals to treat NHS patients as Scotland reaches 80% of Covid bed capacity

Five private hospitals will be used to provide extra capacity for NHS Scotland as it struggles to cope with the pressure of Covid-19.
Nurses make final preparations during the completion of the construction of the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA WireNurses make final preparations during the completion of the construction of the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
Nurses make final preparations during the completion of the construction of the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that 1,989 people were in hospital with Covid-19, the highest ever daily total.

Over 80 per cent of Covid-19 beds across Scotland are now full, Ms Sturgeon said.

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Some health boards have already breached their individual capacities, a figure which tends to fluctuate, but NHS Scotland bosses have said they would be “concerned” if the national allowance was exceeded.

The five private hospitals - the Albyn Hospital in Aberdeen, the Kings Park Hospital in Stirling, the Nuffield and Ross Hall hospitals in Glasgow and the Spire Hospital in Edinburgh – will offer planned care and cancer treatment, including breast surgery, urology and gynaecology.

It comes amid warnings from health boards across Scotland after new year that they are struggling to cope with rising numbers of Covid-19 patients along with increased non-Covid patients as a result of normal winter surge.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow was forced to redirected ambulances for a short time in the first days of January, and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine warned of ambulances queuing outside hospitals and patients being treated in corridors.

Pam Dudek, the chief executive of NHS Highland, told MSPs on Holyrood’s Health Committee on Tuesday that medics at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness were now only carrying out urgent surgeries.

Speaking about the impact that Covid-19 had had on the health board, she said: “We had to step down significantly elective care during wave one and have had to pull back on it in these last two weeks, back to urgent and move away from routine electives in Raigmore, which we hope will only be for the short term.”

NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Lanarkshire announced cancellation of all non-urgent planned procedures last week, while NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said they are being carried out on a “case by case basis”.

Use of private hospitals in absorbing some of the pressures of winter and Covid-19 was outlined in the Scottish Government’s Winter Preparedness Plan.

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The NHS Louisa Jordan and NHS Golden Jubilee have also been providing outpatient and elective care for some time.

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Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs on Tuesday: “The pressure the NHS is facing right now is real, and it is of course having a significant consequential impact on non-Covid elective care.

"The number of new cases in the past couple of weeks also means that this pressure is almost certain to rise for a further period yet.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The additional capacity provided by the independent sector, NHS Golden Jubilee and NHS Louisa Jordan is very welcome, and I am extremely grateful to all staff involved for their continued hard work.

“The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with Health Boards to ensure those requiring urgent elective and vital cancer care can be seen as quickly and safely as possible.”

The NHS Louisa Jordan has held over 19,000 outpatient appointments since its construction. The centre is now also acting as a mass vaccination site.

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