NICOLA Sturgeon has launched a £1 billion-plus NHS Recovery Plan to tackle the impact of the pandemic on the health service - but what are the main priorities?
The extensive document, published Wednesday August 25, covers a wide range of issues affecting the NHS from GP surgeries and cancer to drug deaths.
The proposals aim to tackle the backlog built up during the Covid-19 crisis and increase NHS capacity by 10%.
The National have dug into the details of the plan to find out the key pieces of information you need to know.
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Wellbeing and staff numbers
Mental health and wellbeing of staff plays a large part in the NHS Recovery plan, with £3 million assigned to give enhanced support staff and retaining the National Wellbeing Hub and helpline where workers can access support.
The Workforce Specialist service, which 200 staff have already used, will provide “tailored, confidential mental health support” for NHS and social care workers.
There is also a push to recruit more staff to the NHS, such as 1500 staff for National Treatment Centres by 2026, increasing medical undergradute places by 100 per year and 1000 workers in primary care mental health.
GP surgeries
The recovery plan focusses on restoring face-to-face GP appointments, with updated guidance from Public Health Scotland to be available “imminently” on dealing with physical distancing, access for patients and infection prevention control.
However, it isn’t the end of digital services, and the NHS Near Me video consulting service will continue to play a part in the future as part of a mixed approach, backed by £3.4m investment to allow the service to scale up.
Extra funding has been allocated to provide GP practices with support from staff in the local community (£155m), community pharmacies (£2.5m) and the Scottish Ambulance Service (£20m).
Removing all NHS dental charges, extra funding for NHS24 and a public consultation on a healthcare app to book appointments and allow patients to have more control over their health data is in the works.
Nicola Sturgeon launched the NHS Recovery plan at the Golden Jubilee Hospital
Outpatient procedures
With many health services stopped due to the pandemic, around 586,000 outpatient appointments were lost, and the government estimates over 200,000 people have been waiting over 12 weeks for an appointment.
Emphasis on video consulting, supporting self care and “developing alternative pathways of care” - such as in the community instead of hospital - are part of the government’s plan to tackle this.
The expansion would allow for an extra 140,000 outpatients each year, the government says. £29m has been allocated to bring down waiting times for diagnostic tests.
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National Treatment Centres
The Scottish government continued their £330m commitment to open National Treatment Centres for elective procedures and early diagnostic tests.
An extra £400m will be allocated to create two further centres in Ayrshire and Cumbernauld, bringing the total to 10 centres across Scotland which will be put in place by the end of the parliamentary term.
By 2026, the network is expected to deliver at least 40,000 extra elective surgeries and procedures each year. An additional £40m in funding has been allocated to improve cancer services, on top of the £114.5m to support the National Cancer plan.
Mental Health
The recovery plan commits to ensuring 10% of frontline health spending is dedicated to mental health services, with 1% of this specifically for services targeted at children and young people.
Mental health services will also continue with a mix of digital and face-to-face appointments.
The £120m Recovery and Renewal Fund over 2021/22 will support the mental health transition plan which will promote signposting for services, rapid response in times of distress and ensuring safe, effective care for those living with mental illness.
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Drug deaths
The First Minister announced a new national mission to tackle drug deaths in January, backed by £250m of investment over 5 years. The recovery plan says the government will seek to build on approaches brought in during the pandemic - such as increasing outreach services, making digital appointments available and the use of naxolone, which can stop an overdose.
The plan also notes that “significant improvements” need to be made on the provision of rehab.
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