Health Secretary has updated parliament on winter
preparations for the NHS, urging people to take up the flu
vaccine and confirming up to £20 million to bolster social care
capacity.
The £20 million investment will be targeted at initiatives by
health boards to increase social care capacity and provide extra
support at the front door of A&Es, which will reduce
admissions and relieve pressure on acute services.
Mr Gray also warned of the potential impact of the flu virus this
winter, with emerging evidence suggesting an early and
potentially difficult flu season. He urged everyone eligible to
get their vaccination, particularly children and young people who
can transmit the virus to vulnerable family members and friends.
To help deal with increased winter pressures, the Scottish
Ambulance Service (SAS) will recruit more than 290 new frontline
A&E staff this year, including newly qualified paramedics and
ambulance care assistants.
To ensure callers are dealt with more efficiently this winter,
NHS 24 has also implemented a new call centre system backed by £5
million of investment. Over 90% of callers triaged by NHS 24 as
needing an ambulance response now have their call information
transferred and referred digitally - this removes repetitive
stages of the call process and significantly speeds up the
process for patients.
The Health Secretary has also directed health boards to undertake
a new approach, working together to plan digital care and
business systems, and make best use of available capacity for
orthopaedic elective services - ensuring patients receive the
care they need as soon as possible.
Health Secretary said:
“We know pressure on the system exacerbates over winter and I am
determined to ensure that pressure is relieved as much as
possible. We have been preparing plans for this winter season
throughout the past year with NHS boards and local authorities.
“Our investment of £20 million will be crucial in our efforts to
bolster social care capacity, reduce unnecessary hospital
admissions and ensure people receive the right care in the most
appropriate setting.
“A key part of our winter response is prevention and our national
flu vaccination programme is well underway. Vaccination is one of
the best ways to protect our own health and those around us -
with flu cases rising and initial evidence suggesting this may be
an early and potentially difficult flu season, I urge all those
who are eligible to get vaccinated.
“We have significantly increased Scottish Ambulance Service
staffing and we are investing in capacity in our NHS 24 call
centres so that people are getting the right support quickly and
when they need it.
“Our dedicated health and social care staff are the cornerstone
of our winter response every year – they will continue to work
tirelessly in the coming months to provide excellent care, and I
thank them for their outstanding efforts.”
Background
The funding of £20 million comes from the 2025-26 health and
social care budget to deliver improvements in urgent and
unscheduled care and patient flow, linked to the Operational
Improvement Plan.
Winter planning is undertaken collaboratively between health
boards and local authorities and the Scottish Government has
worked with the NHS and COSLA to ensure local plans are
underpinned by consistent national principles. These are set out
in publication of “National Planning
Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness in
Health and Social Care”
