WIREDGOV

Increased capacity and staffing in place for winter

The Golden Jubilee Hospital is expanding its capacity to treat more patients, to help ease pressure on the NHS this winter.

Staff at the hospital will undertake over 2800 additional procedures between now and March 2014.

The Scottish Government has invested £1.9 million for the extra work, which will be carried out through a combination of expansion plans and weekend working.

The announcement comes as this winter, Health Secretary Alex Neil will give monthly updates on how the health service is performing over the winter period.

In the first of these updates, Mr Neil has provided detail on a number of key NHS statistics which will reflect how the health service is performing.

These include:

• The NHS workforce has been strengthened by over 2,300 over the past year, ahead of winter
• In the last quarter to 30 September 2013, A&E performance was 95.2 per cent for the four hour target, which has improved in line with the unscheduled care action plan
• Two wards were closed to norovirus as at 25 November compared to 23 at same time last year
• Flu rates are at expected levels as at 7.8 per 100,000 population.

Health Secretary Alex Neil said:

“We know that our health service can face added pressure in the winter months and NHS boards have to be ready to manage potential increases in demand.

“Last winter saw increased pressures including an early start to the norovirus season, an increase in respiratory illnesses, and a rise in the number of people attending A&E in the peak of winter.

“We continue to make improvements through our three year £50 million unscheduled care action plan, which aims to improve the way that emergency care operates across Scotland.

“It is important that our health service is open and transparent and that is why I am highlighting key statistics each month over this winter. These figures show that the NHS workforce has grown over the past year, and that norovirus and flu levels so far this winter are not currently causing concern.

“Increasing capacity at the Golden Jubilee is a good example of changes we have put in place this winter. This will help us to carry out more planned operations, freeing up more beds in other areas.

“I know that each winter brings additional pressures for the health service, and I am not complacent, but I know that health boards have done all they can this year to ensure our health service is prepared for winter.”

The increase in capacity at the Golden Jubilee means patients from across Scotland will benefit from faster access to diagnostic imaging tests, cataract operations and hip and knee replacements.

This change will play a key role in helping to ease pressure on hospitals over the winter period, and will help to ensure the NHS can offer genuinely round the clock care.

Over £9 million of the £50 million unscheduled care action plan has already been released to health boards to support their planning, which is triple the amount given to boards for winter planning last year.

Chief Executive of the Golden Jubilee, Jill Young, added: “The Golden Jubilee is widely recognised for providing high quality care, treatment and services to our patients, in the right way at the right time. We’re pleased to announce that we have already started diagnosing and treating additional patients - ensuring more people from across Scotland have the benefit of seeing our specialists.

“Clearly, this is at a time when demand for access to the NHS increases but our role is to support our colleagues across the country in the highly specialised tests and surgeries we excel in.”

Notes to editors

As at September 2013, the number of staff in NHSScotland has increased by 2,326.2 whole time equivalent (WTE) compared to September 2012. The number has risen from 131,845.2 WTE to 134,171.4 WTE, a rise of 1.8 per cent..

Flu rates, currently at 7.8 per 100,000 population, are well below the threshold that would indicate a move into normal seasonal activity (43.2 per 100,000 population).

The planned increase in activity at the Golden Jubilee includes:

• 1200 MRI scans
• 520 Ultrasounds
• 920 Ophthalmic procedures
• 180 joint replacements

Local plans are already in place across the country, and the money is being used to recruit additional staff, including additional A&E consultants, and to introduce innovative measures, such as rolling out the use of digital whiteboards to improve the flow of patients throughout hospitals.

In NHS Forth Valley a Frailty Unit will be established over the winter, for vulnerable elderly patients. This will help to improve outcomes for frail elderly patients by reducing avoidable hospitalisation.

A new discharge lounge has been opened in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, which will be used to free up beds earlier in the day. NHS Fife has also opened a discharge hub, to manage and support patient discharge.

NHS Fife has also introduced 24/7 flow coordinators, who are helping to ensure patients flow quickly through the healthcare system without unnecessary delays.