Tag: NHS Scotland

‘World class’ child cancer care strategy launched

A strategy to deliver world class cancer care for children and young people has been published by the Scottish Government.

Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care, the Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021-2026, was launched by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf during an online event yesterday.

The strategy highlights 10 priorities for the next five years, supported by almost £6 million investment, which include:

  • working towards funding genetic testing to provide personally targeted treatment
  • expanding Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy (CAR-T) to teenagers and young adults
  • setting up a national molecular radiotherapy service for children
  • funding a dedicated health workforce to care for teenagers and young adults 
  • raising the profile of supported care services and holistic care
  • developing a single centre of excellence to provide radiotherapy treatment to improve survival among children with cancer

Mr Yousaf said: “Receiving a cancer diagnosis is never easy, but receiving one at such a young age is especially difficult.

“We know that diagnosis has come a long way, with survival rates remaining stable for children and young people. However there is still more we can do to support this age group to live long, healthy and happy lives.

“This strategy, backed by almost £6 million, marks an exciting time for children and young people’s cancer services as the first strategy for this age group. It outlines our 10 ambitions to build on previous successes so that, by 2026, we will see improved and enhanced outcomes for patients and ensure equal access to care across Scotland.”

Medical Director of NHS Forth Valley Andrew Murray said: “I am delighted to see the launch of Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care, after such a challenging period in the NHS Scotland’s history, and I look forward to working with our clinicians and families to deliver its ambitious objectives over the next five years, improving experiences and outcomes.”

The strategy can be read in full here.

The launch was somewhat overshadowed by news that the Scottish Government is calling in the army to help tackle a crisis in the ambulance service – and a Twitter post of a film of Health Minister Humza Yousaf’s unfortunate accident on a scooter.

End in sight to parking charges at Royal Infirmary Edinburgh

Talks at advanced stage to take over Edinburgh facility

Hospital parking charges are set to end permanently in Scotland after agreements were reached to buy out two car parks in Glasgow and Dundee operated through PFI (private finance initiative) schemes.

Negotiations are also progressing to take over the last remaining PFI car park in Scotland at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, with an agreement expected to be reached in the coming months.

Parking charges have been suspended at the three hospital PFI facilities since the start of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The agreements to take the car parks into public hands will mean this becomes permanent.

The new Scottish Government had pledged to take steps to end hospital parking charges permanently at PFI sites in Scotland during its first 100 days.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am delighted to announce that these facilities will come into public hands and help phase out the legacy of PFI in hospital car parks in Scotland.

“We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our NHS workforce for their heroic efforts throughout the pandemic and this will ensure that, along with patients and visitors using our hospitals, they will not face the prospect of parking charges returning.

“There are no car parking changes in place at any hospitals after this Scottish Government secured an arrangement to suspend these at the three PFI sites at the start of the pandemic. Charges at other NHS car parks had already been abolished by this Government.

“This announcement shows we are determined to ensure they will not return at any PFI site in Scotland. Talks are progressing well with the owners of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site and I am hopeful of reaching an agreement in due course. As this progresses we will be keeping the car park at the hospital free while the final agreement is reached.”

NHS Lothian Deputy Chief Executive, Jim Crombie said: “We look forward to the completion of negotiations with our PFI provider to end parking charges on our sites permanently and are grateful for the funding that enables staff and patients to continue to park free of charge in the meantime.”

The Scottish Government has provided the funding for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to complete the buyout of the PFI car park contract at Glasgow Royal Infirmary for £26.3 million, taking over the facility. A similar arrangement has been reached for NHS Tayside to buyout of the PFI car park contract at Ninewells in Dundee for £9million.

NHS Tayside Director of Facilities, John Paterson said: “We know that the suspension of car parking charges at Ninewells Hospital has benefited patients, staff and visitors alike and it has made a real difference to those who have come on to our site since March 2020. 

“Today’s announcement of the permanent removal of parking charges at Ninewells is welcome news for everyone. We have worked closely with Scottish Government and car park operators Saba UK to achieve this and we are continuing to work with Saba UK to ensure car parks are managed effectively, enabling patients, staff and visitors to park safely at the hospital.“

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Director of Facilities and Estates, Tom Steele said: “We have been working closely with Scottish Government colleagues to remove parking charges for staff, patients and visitors from all of our hospital sites.

“It has been an aim of NHSGGC for some time that our staff can come to work and not be charged to use the parking facilities, so I am really pleased that this work has now concluded and we are able to offer free parking to all staff working at each of our hospitals as well as patients who will be attending to receive treatment and their loved ones who visit them.”

Car parking charges were suspended at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Ninewells Hospital, Dundee in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. 

3% pay rise for Scotland’s NHS medical and dental staff

The Scottish Government has announced a 3% uplift for NHS medical and dental staff, in recognition of their efforts during the pandemic.

This is in line with the recommendation of the independent UK Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.

The pay uplift will be backdated to 1 April 2021.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This pay award is in recognition of an exceptional year for all of our NHS workers and reflects the immense value we place on the continued hard work and dedication of medical and dental staff.

“This announcement means that our senior medical staff will continue to be the best paid in the UK. As well as rewarding them for their efforts during the pandemic, it will help to ensure that NHS Scotland remains an attractive employment option for medical and dental staff.”

The announcement covers three main staff groups not covered by the Agenda for Change pay deal  – NHS Scotland Medical and Dental (M&D) staff; General Medical Practitioners (GMPs) and General Dental Practitioners (GDPs). 

Agenda for Change employees have already been awarded a deal providing minimum pay uplifts of 4% to all but the highest-earning staff.

Dentists: Government must apply full pay award

The British Dental Association has called on the Scottish Government to confirm that the recently announced 3% pay award for dentists will be applied to practitioners’ overall remuneration package to avoid front line staff potentially being left out of pocket and practices struggling to invest to improve care. 

Historically in Scotland the recommended uplift has not applied to all dentists allowances and payments, meaning the overall awards often fall short of the pay review body’s recommendations.

Last year the Scottish Government did not apply the recommended 2.8% uplift to practice allowances – which make up around 16% of practice income – leaving an overall increase of less than the review body’s recommendations. The BDA estimates that the net award for that year was around 2.3%.

While one-off support to fund improvements in ventilation has been offered by the Scottish Government, NHS dentists do not routinely receive capital investment. These earnings serve to fund all improvements in equipment, training, and facilities for NHS practices.

Scottish Government officials have stated they will provide details of how the package will operate in due course. The BDA is calling for the 3% uplift to be applied to the full remuneration package.

David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “The Scottish Government’s announcement has left key questions unanswered. 

“This uplift will do little to correct a decade of austerity, and not all of this increase may actually reach dentists, who rely on their earnings to invest in their practices.

“In the recent election, Ministers put dentistry front and centre in their pitch for government. If they are going to deliver on their promises they shouldn’t be short-changing front line practitioners.”

Missed appointment? Rebook or attend any drop-in clinic

If you can’t make your COVID-19 vaccination appointment due to self-isolation, you can rebook your appointment at http://invitations.vacs.nhs.scot or attend any of the drop-in locations listed here: http://nhsinform.scot/vaccinedropinclinics….

First dose phase of vaccination programme nears completion

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has visited a drop-in vaccination clinic in Arbroath as the national programme nears completion of first doses for all adults who attended their scheduled appointments on Sunday.

The clinic in Arbroath is one of many additional walk-in and pop-up facilities operating across the mainland to encourage people to get Jagged in July and Mr Yousaf urged anyone who is yet to take up their offer of a vaccine for whatever reason to come forward now.

No appointment is necessary at drop-in clinics and people can attend whether they are due a first dose or second dose, if eight weeks have passed. Anyone who wishes to book an appointment can do so at NHS Inform.

Mr Yousaf said: “I am pleased to see people making use of the vaccination clinic in Arbroath and urge others to do the same at their local drop-in venues if they haven’t yet come forward to be vaccinated.

“Getting vaccinated has never been easier. Simply head to a drop-in or pop-up clinic – the most up-to-date details of clinics near you can be found on your local NHS board’s social media posts or book an appointment online in a location which suits.

“The vaccination programme is working – evidence shows vaccination is weakening the link between case numbers and severe acute illness. However, case numbers are still high and vaccination continues to be the best way to protect yourself and those around you.

“We are currently working through the final group on the JCVI priority list – those aged between 18 and 29 – and we know that the extra drop-in clinics being operated by mainland health boards until Sunday make it easier for them to fit getting vaccinated into their busy lives. Walk-ins will still be available after this week but now is the time to take advantage of all the additional facilities on offer.

“I want to thank all those involved in setting up these clinics and of course, everyone involved in the national vaccination programme. It has been a huge success and without doubt, represents our best way out of the pandemic.”

NHS Tayside Director of Public Health Dr Emma Fletcher said: “Drop-in vaccination clinics are running at venues right across Tayside to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated. No appointment is necessary and anyone over 18 can drop-in. 

“So far, uptake of vaccinations in Tayside has been very good. We have delivered over 532,500 vaccines in Tayside with 300,000 people, 86% of the adult population, having one dose and around 232,500 people, 66%, having had both doses but we need that uptake to be higher to stop the spread of the virus.  

“We know that getting both doses of the vaccine offers maximum protection against the virus and we are particularly encouraging people aged 18-29 to come forward as early as they can. So if you have not yet had your first jab, or you are longer than eight weeks from your first jab and are due your second jab, come along to your nearest clinic and we will get you vaccinated.” 

More staff to bolster Scotland’s Test and Protect system

Changes are working, insists Health Secretary

Scotland’s Test and Protect contact tracing system will see its workforce bolstered with the deployment of additional staff over the coming week to help address a rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf  said recent changes to the system are helping its performance and the way it operates will continue to evolve as vaccination levels rise.

Ascensos, one of Test and Protect’s existing commercial partners, has agreed an arrangement with Barrhead Travel to accelerate and augment the capacity they are providing to the contact tracing system by 100 staff. Additional contact tracing bank staff continue to be brought on board and existing bank staff mobilised. 

Recent changes to the system have also been implemented aimed at ensuring a growing number of cases are closed by contact tracers and that high risk cases are prioritised. These include greater use of text messaging to contact lower risk index cases and digital self-tracing forms.

Mr Yousaf said: “Our Test and Protect workforce have played a vital role in the battle against this pandemic. We  owe these contact tracing teams a huge debt of gratitude for all their efforts over the past year.

“The Test and Protect system has continued to operate well as case numbers have increased in recent weeks, contacting unprecedented numbers of people.

“This agreement to bring in additional staff follows our ongoing efforts this year to ensure commercial partners were on board in preparation  for potential increases in demand on the contact tracing system.

“This extra workforce is important, but the  success of the system going forward will not simply be about staffing numbers. 

“Test and Protect will  change as the population becomes more protected by vaccination and it will still play a key role in mitigating clusters and outbreaks in high risk settings, slowing infection spread and protecting populations at risk.

“As we announced last week, we are now using a variety of methods to contact people, including using digital methods like SMS messages for lower risk cases and prioritising calls for higher risk cases. These changes, along with extra staffing, will ensure that people are contact traced, and begin self-isolation, as quickly as possible. I’m confident that the performance of Test and Protect has started to improve in recent days.

“The majority of people comply when asked to self-isolate and we are thankful for the important role they are continue to play in stopping transmission of COVID-19.

“We will have to manage living with COVID-19 for some time to come, even when we are able to move beyond Level 0. While we hope we are in the process of emerging from the pandemic, case rates at the moment underline the fact that this virus is still with us.”

Recently announced measures have been implemented to streamline the contact tracing system to manage pressure on the system and ensure it is more efficient.

These include greater use of text messaging to contact lower risk index cases and digital self-tracing forms.

The new approach ensures that the contact tracing system is using its resource appropriately and proportionate to public health risks: Test and Protect to prioritise high risk cases – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Test and Protect is an NHS-led service which works with commercial partners to help augment capacity when required.

Contact tracing capacity in Scotland is split between the National Contact Centre operated by National Services Scotland (NSS) and  the daily contact tracing workforce  provided by territorial Health Boards.

All mainland health boards offer drop-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination clinics: Drop-in vaccine clinics in every mainland health board – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Scotland’s Emergency Departments experience worst ever May performance

The latest data released yesterday by the Scottish Government for May 2021 show that attendances at Emergency Departments have risen significantly.

In May 2021 there were 112,563 attendances to major Emergency Departments across Scotland. This is a 12% increase compared to April 2021, a 24% increase when compared to March 2021, and a 45% increase compared to May 2020.

Following this increase, four-hour performance deteriorated, 86% of attendances to major Emergency Departments in Scotland were seen within four hours. 15,706 patients were delayed by four-hours or more in an Emergency Department, this is the highest figure since January 2020, and it is the highest figure ever recorded for the month of May. This means one in seven patients were delayed by four hours or more before being seen.

In May 2021, 393 patients spent 12 hours or more in an Emergency Department, this is double the figure for April 2021. This is the highest number of 12-hour delays for the month of May ever recorded, and it is more than double the previous highest May figure of 189 12-hour delays that was recorded in 2019.

Data also show that 1,680 patients spent eight hours or more in a major Emergency Department, this is an increase of nearly 50% compared to April 2021 and it is the highest figure ever recorded for the month of May.

Dr John Thomson, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The data is deeply concerning and very much reflects what is happening on the ground. Departments are busier than ever, especially for the summer period with some record-breaking figures for the month of May, and it is becoming increasingly challenging.

“These figures come at a time when reports suggest Scotland has the highest covid infection rate in Europe. We are battling community admissions, elective care patients seeking treatment, as well as increasing covid patients attending our departments, all within the context of reduced bed-stock.

“Departments are filled with patients, some who may have covid, waiting to be seen. While long-stays alone can put patient safety at risk. This risk is increased as some patients could contract the disease in a busy Emergency Department.

“The College’s recent Emergency Medicine workforce census in Scotland revealed an Emergency Medicine workforce that was not adequately staffed to deliver the highest quality patient care in Emergency Departments in Scotland.

“We have shortages across the board, but particularly among consultants and senior decision-making clinicians. These shortages are currently exacerbated by the soaring covid infection rate, meaning there are a large number of absent NHS staff due to covid in Scotland.

“We are doing all we can to maintain flow and maximise patient safety, but the pressures are increasingly intense and are faced by the existing but short-staffed workforce that are facing continued burnout and exhaustion.

“The data show the growing demand for urgent and emergency care, Emergency Departments are where people turn to for treatment when there is nowhere else to go, so they must be adequately staffed with trained Emergency Medicine staff, properly funded, and equipped with enough capacity and resources to cope with severe demand.”

“We urgently need the Scottish Government to support the urgent and emergency care system to cope with these pressures.”

Two NHS Grampian hospitals have announced this week that they are at capacity as Covid cases rise.

Scotland was expected to move to level zero on 19 July, with remaining legal restrictions lifted on 9 August, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon conceded yesterday that th planned dates are not “set in stone”.

She will be holding a media briefing at lunchtime today:

Yousaf: Get Jagged in July

All mainland health boards will offer drop-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination clinics from Monday as the programme nears completion of first doses for all adults in Scotland.

Everyone aged 18 and over can attend for their first dose or – if eight weeks have passed – their second dose. Separate queues will be in operation for those with a scheduled appointment.

From Monday, mobile vaccination units run by the Scottish Ambulance Service will visit local communities and busy city centre spots in Edinburgh and Glasgow for a two week period.  

Anyone who has not yet received an invitation or would like to rearrange an existing appointment can continue to self-register on the NHS Inform site.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Our route out of this pandemic is getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, that is why I am urging people to get jagged in July.

“The vaccination programme continues to progress at pace and, as always, I want to thank everyone involved and all those who have taken up the offer of vaccine.

“As we approach the final stages of the first COVID-19 vaccination programme we are increasing the options available for how and when you choose to be inoculated.

“You can attend one of the drop-in clinics being run in all mainland health boards or pop into a mobile unit. You can also rearrange the location of your appointment online if, for example, it is more convenient for you to be vaccinated closer to your work than home.

“You can find out where your nearest drop-in clinics are by visiting NHS Inform which will direct you to the latest information from your local health board.

“All those aged 18 and over can also self-register to receive their appointment by text or email which will be convenient for anyone who has recently moved house or is new to Scotland.

“All of the evidence says that the vaccines are working as we continue to battle the faster-transmitting Delta variant which is now dominant so I urge everyone to take advantage of the vaccination programme which is open to every adult in Scotland.”

Mr Yousaf’s appeal follows the announcement of 4234 new cases in Scotland yesterday – a new record.

Support Service details at your fingertips with NHSinform

As pandemic restrictions begin to ease people in Scotland are encouraged to join over 30,000 others who have already turned to Scotland’s Service Directory in 2021 as a convenient way to find support services for health and wellbeing at their fingertips.

Scotland’s Services Directory has been developed by NHS 24 in association with Macmillan Cancer Support and health and care charity The Alliance.  The online directory offers contact details for local, quality-assured, health and care services across all regions in Scotland. Every Health and Social Care Partnership has a number of services listed.

Scotland’s Service Directory is available on NHSinform.scot providing  easy access on a wide range of health and wellbeing groups and services, including how to stay active, cancer services, dementia support, social activities for mental health, and money advice. NHS services are also listed.

A national campaign promoting the Directory will run over summer.

Help stop the spread in Edinburgh

Covid cases are still rising in #Edinburgh and getting tested helps #stopthespread so we can all look forward to fewer restrictions.

There are lots of places to get a free test : https://edinburgh.gov.uk/coronavirus-4/covid-19-community-testing-people-no-covid-19-symptoms/1…

Latest test centre is @HibernianFC which is open 9.30am – 4.30pm until Sunday.