First Minister John Swinney has said “progress has been made” after a Scottish health board declared a critical incident amid “extreme pressure” on accident and emergency services over the weekend.
NHS Grampian put the warning in place on Saturday night.
The health board said its A&E units at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin and at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were facing a “challenging weekend” due to the local public holiday on Monday, capacity within hospitals, and extreme pressures on care within the community.
On Monday morning, the First Minister said “progress has been made”, and NHS Grampian stood down the board-level critical incident.
There are challenges just now about the level of demand on NHS services, but the Government will be giving a statement to Parliament about the preparations for winter
While pressures across the health and social care system continue, the health board said hospital capacity has improved at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
A hospital-level critical incident has been retained for Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
Speaking to the Press Association at the Port of Montrose on Monday, John Swinney said the Scottish Government has been in dialogue with NHS Grampian over the weekend as it has “wrestled with a very significant level of demand on its services”.
“The situation is now improving, and I welcome the progress that’s been made over the weekend,” Mr Swinney said.
“One of the factors that has been affecting the situation has been a congestion within hospitals created by delayed discharges – where patients are ready to leave hospital but are not able to do so because of the unavailability of care packages and support in the community.
He added: “That’s an issue of long-standing significance, but it’s become an acute issue over the weekend.”
The First Minister said the Government will be engaging “very strongly” with NHS Grampian and with the local authorities in the north east of Scotland to see an improvement and to ensure people are able to access the healthcare services they require.
Mr Swinney emphasised that there are a range of opportunities for people to access healthcare services, including pharmacy first, minor injuries clinics, GP clinics, and the walk-in GP centres championed by the SNP.
“There are challenges just now about the level of demand on NHS services, but the Government will be giving a statement to Parliament about the preparations for winter,” the First Minister said.
“We rely on health boards and health and social care partnerships to undertake the preparatory work that is essential on the ground, and the Government will work closely to make sure that’s the case.”
He added: “But I’m pleased that the situation in NHS Grampian is improving.”