In the run up to today's statement, opposition parties at Holyrood have called for the Scottish government to take responsibility for the difficulties facing NHS services.

Both the Conservatives and Labour have demanded the resignation of Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, with the Tories saying he had "lost the confidence of NHS staff".

The Scottish Conservatives have accused Mr Yousaf of "presiding over carnage in our A&E departments, with patients waiting longer and longer to be treated".

The party's health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: "My burnt-out colleagues simply cannot give any more than they are currently doing for suffering patients.

"They are being let down at every turn by Humza Yousaf's flimsy recovery plans which have failed despite his desperate claims to the contrary."

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Holyrood business resuming in 2023 in the same fashion it finished up last year, with procedural warfare between parties.

An NHS statement is being added to today's business, but the Tories wanted to delete a planned independence debate and Labour wanted to replace it with one on health.

Obviously the SNP/Greens have the votes to comfortably bat away the opposition on stuff like this, but I think there's a similar approach to the gender reform debate at the end of last year - to make them go through the process regardless, to make a broader point about the debate.

MSPs reject the Tory amendment calling for the scrapping of the independence debate and an extension of the time given to the health secretary to discuss the pressures on the NHS.

The Labour amendment was also rejected, while the Scottish government amendment on changes to the parliament's agenda is agreed.

The votes mean we won't get to the statement on the NHS until topical questions are answered.

Humza Yousaf should get to his feet at around 14:45.

Parliamentary Business Minister George Adam says the NHS will be the first thing discussed in the chamber after topical questions.

Mr Adam defends the use of chamber time for a debate on independence.

MSPs move to a vote and a brief suspension.

Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane gets the afternoon's proceedings in the Holyrood chamber under way, calling for a full debate on the crisis in the NHS.

Dr Gulhane argues that the first parliamentary debate of 2023 being on independence is a "disgrace".

He puts forward an amendment to extend the ministerial statement on winter pressures facing the NHS by 40 minutes.

Labour MSP Neil Bibby agrees there is a "full blown crisis" in the NHS and he criticises the government for using its time to debate another referendum.

What should be done to solve the huge pressures facing the NHS?

That's the question Health Secretary Humza Yousaf will attempt to answer when he makes a statement to parliament from around 14:20.

Our colleagues on the Good Morning Scotland programme asked frontline NHS staff how bad things were.

Dr Iain Kennedy, the chair of BMA Scotland, said the situation was "dire":

"The NHS in Scotland is broken.

"Members are telling me that they are exhausted, they're burnt out and they are considering their futures.

"We know that in Scotland many parts of the NHS are collapsing.

"We have no doubt that the NHS in Scotland in it's current form is unsustainable."

As we have been reporting, the NHS is under massive pressure to get patients through the hospital system more quickly.

It comes as the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in emergency departments has hit its highest ever level, according to official figures.

Public Health Scotland data, external shows 2,506 people spent more than half a day in A&E in the week ending 1 January.

That was up from 1,925 the previous week - which at the time was the highest ever figure.

The number of hospital beds occupied by patients who are medically ready to be discharged has also hit a record high.

In November last year, an average of 1,950 beds per day were used by patients waiting for social care packages.

That was the highest number since guidance came into place in 2016.

The Scottish Conservatives described the figures as "truly terrifying".

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said "pandemic backlogs, inflation costs and Brexit influencing staff shortages had all contributed to make this winter the most challenging the NHS has ever faced".

• Scottish hospitals are almost full, says Sturgeon
• Why is the NHS under so much pressure?
• Scotland's A&E not safe for patients, say doctors

Image source, PA/DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS

Part of today's plan will be the buying of beds in care homes to help speed up discharges.

According to last year’s care home census, external there were 40,579 registered places in care homes for adults in Scotland

Social Care in Scotland chief Donald McCaskill told Drivetime yesterday there are beds available but not enough staff;

"At the moment there are care home beds lying empty, because there aren't sufficient nurses and there aren't sufficient frontline staff to equip them."

Mr McCaskill said some of those beds are lying empty because of three factors:

1. The cost of living pressures
2. The huge increases in energy costs
3. The depletion of the workforce leading to the use of agency staff

These are the financial pressures are holding back providers from making beds available, he said.

Scotland's hospitals are "almost completely full", with bed occupancy exceeding 95% last week, the first minister said at her media briefing yesterday.

Nicola Sturgeon said services were facing "truly unprecedented" pressures.

Demand for hospital beds had been driven up by "extraordinary" levels of winter flu, rising rates of Covid infections and cases of Strep A.

Ms Sturgeon said more work needed to be done to prevent unnecessary hospital attendances and to speed up discharges.

Staffing of the NHS 24 helpline is to be increased, while health boards will be backed in maximising capacity by opening GP practices on Saturdays.

• Read more here
• Why is the NHS under so much pressure?
• Scotland's A&E not safe for patients, say doctors
• FM chairs emergency meeting on NHS winter pressures

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome to our live coverage of the health secretary's statement outlining plans to deal with the unprecedented pressures on the NHS.

Humza Yousaf will give further details of measures to reduce unnecessary hospital attendances and to speed up discharges.

At a press conference yesterday Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland's hospitals were "almost completely full".

Today Mr Yousaf will officially announce plans to increase staffing of the NHS 24 helpline.

There will also be extra cash for health and social care partnerships to book additional care home beds, to free up space on hospital wards.