Health board staff deployed to admin and cleaning roles

A number of office-based staff volunteered for other duties, including cleaning and administration

Office-based workers at a Scottish health board are being deployed to cleaning and administrative duties.

NHS Lanarkshire said it had taken "exceptional measures" after its hospitals, Hairmyres, Wishaw and Monklands, had been "inundated".

Some office staff have volunteered to work at those hospitals and GP centres over the next five days.

Elective or non-urgent procedures have also been postponed for the rest of the week to ease the post-Christmas burden.

It comes as some other Scottish health boards postponed planned operations in order to free up beds to cope with increased demand at their A&E departments.

In addition, Scotland's telephone and online health service, NHS 24, has seen the busiest Christmas and New Year period since the service began 15 years ago.

Over the two four-day weekends, call demand reached 95,784, above what had been predicted. During the same period NHS 24's web service recorded 238,089 visits.

NHS 24's medical director, Dr Laura Ryan, said: "This season has been the busiest on record for all NHS 24 services and the 111 service was no exception. Tens of thousands of calls were made with coughs, colds and seasonal illness accounting for the majority."

'Praise they deserve'

Chief executive of NHS Lanarkshire, Calum Campbell, explained the situation in his area: "This is an unparalleled situation in Lanarkshire and exceptional circumstances need exceptional measures to enable us to deliver our number one healthcare priority - patient safety.

"We asked our office-based staff to consider volunteering to suspend their 'day-job' to support their clinical colleagues, bearing in mind our key purpose and commitment as an organisation to care for people who need our help.

"Not surprisingly, we've had a tremendous response which demonstrates the strong team spirit that exists within the NHS."

New figures show that across Scotland waiting times in A&E units remained below a key target in the week before Christmas as demand rose by almost 20% on the previous year.

In the week ending December 24;

• 83.3% of patients were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, against a target of 95%

• it represented a slight increase from 81.1% the previous week and is down from 93.5% on the same week the previous year

• and a total of 26,569 people visited A&E during the week, up almost 20% from the 22,267 attendances in the same week in 2016.

Scotland's Health Secretary Shona Robison highlighted the "heroic" efforts of the country's NHS.

She said: "All Scotland's health workers should get the praise they rightly deserve for the invaluable work that they do all year round. "I want to add my own personal admiration for our NHS staff and recognise how they continue to put the care of others first."

Times for treating patients increased as A&E attendances rose

What's happening in your area this week?

NHS Lanarkshire - It reiterated its message for people not to attend A&E, unless requiring urgent treatment. In addition, the board has postponed non-urgent elective procedures for the remainder of this week. To help ease the burden, staff who would normally be office based have volunteered to be re-deployed at hospitals and GP practices in administrative and cleaning roles.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde - The elective programme at the board's hospitals have been reduced during the festive season and early January. A spokesman urged people to only use emergency departments for serious injuries and major emergencies. He added: "Our minor injuries units at West Glasgow, Stobhill, Victoria and Vale of Leven Hospitals are the best place for the rapid treatment of minor injuries, including sprains and cuts and broken bones. For minor ailments, patients should go to their pharmacy and our GP out of hours service is also fully operational."

Dumfries and Galloway - The emergency departments new Dumfries hospital has been dealing with a high volume of patients resulting in the suspension of some outpatient clinics and the postponement of some elective surgeries.

Forth Valley - So far no planned operations have been postponed, but A&Es have been "very busy". Increased admissions have been due in part to sicker patients and freezing weather earlier in December led to an increase in people injuring themselves in falls.

Grampian - Fourteen routine procedures were postponed last week due to pressure on the system. However, at this time of the year fewer elective procedures are scheduled in anticipation that there will be increased demand.

NHS Tayside - In the week leading up to Christmas, 96% of people attending A&E were seen within four hours. Despite hitting the target, NHS Tayside is continuing to ask people to only attend A&E in an emergency. Dr Ron Cook said: "Around one in four people who visit A&E could receive treatment more appropriately by accessing a different service, such their own GP, community pharmacist or local Minor Illness and Injuries Unit. This can help you to a quicker recovery and ensures that all NHS Tayside services are run efficiently over the winter months."

NHS Lothian - Jacquie Campbell, chief officer for acute services, said the board it had experiences "significant pressures" so far this winter. She added: "Our priority is to make sure that patients who arrive at our emergency departments are treated in accordance to their needs. We make extensive plans for this time of year but due to current pressures it has been necessary to reschedule some elective procedures."

NHS Fife - A small number of of non-urgent planned operations have been postponed at hospitals in the area. Director of Nursing, Helen Wright, said: "Every effort is made to accommodate as much of the elective programme as possible and we are working to reschedule all procedures as soon as is practically possible."

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