A leading Inverness doctor has claimed Scotland’s health workers are “on their knees” due to the winter crisis and warned the NHS is being pushed past its limit.
Dr Iain Kennedy, who chairs the doctors’ BMA union in Scotland, insisted the health service cannot “struggle to survive from crisis to crisis” in the long-term.
Nicola Sturgeon held an emergency briefing on Monday morning in the wake of record A&E waiting times and record numbers of calls to NHS24.
The first minister admitted hospitals across the country are almost completely full and said the NHS is enduring “the most difficult winter ever”.
Health secretary Humza Yousaf is due to make a statement in Holyrood on Tuesday as Ms Sturgeon announced more funding to help take patients out of hospitals.
In spite of the dire situation, the first minister insisted the NHS remains sustainable and will be there for those who need treatment.
But Dr Kennedy, who warned recently he has never seen things so bad, said the health service cannot function with the resources it is currently getting.
The GP said: “We have to have a long-term discussion about the future of our health service rather than just struggle to survive from crisis to crisis as staff endure perpetual pressures which in the past were reserved for the worst of winter.
“The sooner we get to grips with the big picture issues, the sooner we can get away from having to implement short-term measures in the hope of bolstering collapsing services.”
Dr Kennedy warned extra care beds for patients will not help improve the crisis if more staff are not hired.
‘Not sustainable’
He said first-hand accounts from NHS workers before Christmas were “harrowing” and warned health workers will “dread going to work” while the situation remains so bad.
Dr Kennedy said: “Bed occupancy of 95% across our hospitals is just not sustainable in terms of providing safe and effective care.
“Many doctors remain to be convinced that the Scottish Government’s practical response matches up to the huge scale of the problems the NHS is facing.
“In particular, staffing shortages will only get worse as more staff burn out and dread going to work.”
Leading Dingwall doctor Miles Mack agreed that short-term solutions will do little to fix systemic problems.
The Highland medic, who is ex-chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland, said GPs in rural areas have not been given enough support.
He also worries that plans for GP clinics to open on Saturdays may simply lead to more burnout among doctors.
He told the Press and Journal: “This must be seen in the context of GPs working longer hours and with larger list sizes.
“My concern is that if practices are forced to open in this way this will reduce the sustainability of the service in the longer term, resulting in increased strain.”
He added: “GPs are desperately needed to help manage the ageing population who are living with increasingly complex health conditions.
“The 2018 GP contract saw most rural practices receive no financial uplift and resources to support GPs were focused on delivering alternative clinicians into primary care.”
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