Question reference: S5W-31758
- Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 10 September 2020
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 September 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS will continue on the emergency footing that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport announced on 2 June 2020.
Answer
Our health and care system continues to respond magnificently to the enormous challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHS Scotland has begun safely and incrementally resuming some services that have been suspended, delayed or deferred due to coronavirus, whilst continuing to protect emergency, urgent and maternity care, support for social care and continuing to maintain COVID-19 capacity and resilience; in line with Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design: the Framework for NHS Scotland, published on 31 May.
The reality is coronavirus is likely to be with us for some time to come, and so many changes made in the coming weeks and months have to be measured against the need to keep the virus under control, continuing to protect the NHS and save lives. Health Boards and their planning partners will continue to work on safely resuming services whilst protecting COVID-19 capacity, as informed by the evidence, clinical priorities and associated national frameworks and guidance.
Nonetheless, I am mindful of the challenges that winter is likely to bring over the coming months, including seasonal flu and bad weather. I want to ensure that our health and care services are fully supported across winter, so NHS Scotland will remain on an emergency footing until at least 31 March 2021, at which point I will review the situation again.