THE army has been called in again to help two of Scotland’s struggling health boards, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has announced.
Help has been requested military help because of staff shortages at NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders in a bid to cut escalating waiting times and improve patient care.
A total of 86 military personnel – made up of nurses, army medics, general troops, drivers and organisers – will be deployed from Tuesday for at least three weeks.
It comes less than a month after the army was asked to help drive Scotland’s ambulances amid a staffing crisis that had caused deteriorating response times.
Both health boards recorded their worst-ever compliance with the A&E waiting times target in August, with 780 (28.8%) patients in the Borders and 5992 (32.5%) in Lanarkshire having to wait longer than four hours to be seen.
READ MORE: This winter will be most challenging ever for NHS, Humza Yousaf says
They were also the two worst-performing health boards in Scotland, according to the latest Public Health Scotland data.
From October 19, NHS Lanarkshire will have the support of three army nurses, 45 medics, 12 general duty troops and three drivers to work in acute settings.
NHS Borders will receive two nurses, 14 medics, a driver and four additional military personnel to help in acute settings.
A further two military medics will oversee operations from the army’s Scottish headquarters.
Yousaf (below) blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the crisis as he revealed the health boards’ acute services – such as emergency departments, surgeries and diagnostic services – were operating at their maximum capacity.
“The NHS is experiencing significant pressure at the moment because of Covid-19 admissions and the backlog in care built up during the pandemic and we are taking a range of steps to introduce additional capacity in order to help with the unprecedented pressures on the health and care system,” he said.
Yousaf added: “In the NHS Borders and NHS Lanarkshire areas, staff shortages because of Covid-19 are affecting bed capacity and temporary military assistance has been requested to support the boards at this time.
“With increasing levels of social mixing and close social contact it is expected that this winter Covid-19 will circulate alongside respiratory viruses, such as flu, adding to the winter pressures usually faced by the NHS.
“This military support will allow both boards to support existing staff to reduce waiting times, enhance care and provide a better experience for our patients.
“As always I would like to thank all those involved in our healthcare systems for their continuing hard work and dedication over this particularly busy time.”
The Health Secretary also cited the £300 million winter funding announced earlier this month aimed at improving hospital capacity, reduce delayed discharges and increase pay for social care staff.
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