NHS Scotland will slowly restart some health services that were suspended, delayed or deferred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while safeguarding the emergency, urgent and maternity care services.
Under the ‘Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design, The Framework for NHS Scotland’ programme, the Health Boards will comply with national and local clinical advice for safe and phased resumption of some halted services. While doing so, they will have to ensure that COVID-19 capacity and resilience are maintained, and so are provisions for social care support.
Services that are likely to be prioritised for resumption include:
- cancer services, particularly referrals and deferred treatments;
- expansion of treatment to non-cancer urgent inpatients and outpatients;
- outpatient treatments, where patients are at risk of harm from delays;
- support for mental health; and
- treatment room services including blood monitoring and vitamin B12 injections.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: "We are taking an evidence-based, cautious and phased approach to resuming services to ensure the virus continues to be suppressed. While NHS Scotland will remain on an emergency footing, this framework sets out our approach for the next phases as we continue to respond to this pandemic."
