£5m more to support NHS winter plans

An additional £5 million is being given to NHS boards to support winter resilience across health and social care.
Health Secretary Shona Robison announced the additional‎ funding today to support winter planning and enhance resilience across the services, making sure patients are seen quickly, efficiently and without delay. It will also be used to maximise additional staffing to help with weekend discharges in the face of an anticipated rise in attendances during the busy winter months.
This extra winter funding builds on the £9 million being‎ invested to improve A&E performance, and £50 million support to improve waiting times performance.
Speaking during a visit to The Hub at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, a specialist unit to help patients with complex needs get discharged quickly and easily, Health Secretary Shona Robison said:
“We are working hard to ensure our NHS is as prepared as it can be for the extra demands on services over the winter, which is why we are working closely with health and social care services to ensure they have the right plans in place.
“Scotland is well-prepared to head in to winter. We have the best A&E performance anywhere in the UK. However there is no room for complacency and this additional £5 million funding will give an extra boost to health boards’ and their partners’ winter planning.
“We’ll also continue to provide national support to our hospitals in implementing best practice across the country, so that all patients get the same excellent NHS care no matter where they live or the time of year.”