Resuming care and support for people

This could include resumption of some NHS and community support services that were suspended as part of the emergency response to coronavirus, including some elective procedures and screening services.

Why the contribution is important

The Scottish Government has committed to engaging with the public and is interested to hear your thoughts on this topic.

by ScottishGovernment on May 04, 2020 at 08:21PM

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Average rating: 4.7
Based on: 51 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Jane May 05, 2020 at 12:54

    Given the morbidity within our population and the benefit of early intervention I think this is would be an important step forward. This will take planning to ensure safe systems are in place for staff and patients but not impossible and am sure clinicians and social care officers have the answers and can lead.

    This will build public confidence in health and social care services returning to caring for all who need them.

    There are still some outstanding matters re special measures at QUEH so transparency on those should be included

  • Posted by brianfox May 05, 2020 at 13:42

    It is vital that cancer screening and detection procedures are restarted ASAP if we are to avoid a spike in cancer deaths in the future as a result of these procedures being put on hold and cancers going undiagnosed. Doctors involved in these areas are crying out to be allowed to resume this work without any further delay. Delaying this work could be more damaging in the long term than the virus is at present.

  • Posted by Nel5 May 05, 2020 at 13:50

    There are reports that some areas of the NHS are the quietest they have ever been and there are doctors and nurses with little to do as they are not needed for intensive care- surely we should restart other services including cancer, non emergency surgeries etc as we are saving up issues down the line. Reducing COVID deaths but increasing many other causes and hospitals should be clean enough to not materially increase infection risk

  • Posted by LWallaceArran May 05, 2020 at 13:58

    I am worried about the lack of cancer screening services.

  • Posted by lesleyw85 May 05, 2020 at 14:16

    Elective surgery should recommence.
    My Mother is currently waiting for a knee replacement and due to the Covid Situation had her operation cancelled. This is now having a detriment affect on her mobility and as such had a fall, causing more to her wrist.
    Surely this can be looked at as it can be contained and done safely.

  • Posted by ChrisHutchings May 05, 2020 at 14:44

    As long as the NHS staff and carers can be provided with proper PPE, this is essential. Even in the midst of a mass Covid-19 outbreak, these services would still possibly save lives overall.

    Home carers would need to have the number of houses they visit reduced as much as possible - there is no reason why someone should have two or three different carers visit through the day.

    England has had some success with moving non-Covid-related NHS care to private hospitals - perhaps this could be repeated in the more populated areas of Scotland, with (e.g.) one hospital in Edinburgh designated only for people without Covid symptoms.

  • Posted by weec May 05, 2020 at 14:54

    Whilst I don't want to see the premature lifting of the restrictions, I am concerned about those suffering with diagnosed mental health issues that are likely to be exacerbated by the current contact restrictions. Families play a key role in keeping individuals mentally well. I would like to see those with a diagnosed mental illness and who receive support from a CPN or Psychiatrist being able to nominate someone who they could meet either inside or outside their home for support.
    This will also perhaps relieve pressure on the NHS mental health services when we do come out of lock-down and resume normal care services.

  • Posted by Pilot May 05, 2020 at 16:16

    While its understandable that the Covid outbreak required an emergency response from hospitals, now that numbers are contained, vital that screening/treatment is carried out for members of the public who had their elective procedures cancelled.

  • Posted by sciuro May 05, 2020 at 16:20

    i'd like to see important screening and checks being reinstated - including for the elderly, who were the first to be denied it when things started to be closed. my mother-in-law has no teeth since dental appointments to fit new ones were cancelled. she's also recovering from two operations for glaucoma - all followup checkups were cancelled.

    i'd also like to see some social care reintroduced for those who need it - perhaps not to full levels yet, but something. my mother is really struggling looking after my father with advanced alzheimer's. she's gone from two daily social care visits and all offspring and grandchildren visiting regularly for both mental and physical support to having a bag of shopping left on the doorstep twice a week.

  • Posted by rich_b May 05, 2020 at 16:28

    Whilst resuming care and support should be a paramount consideration for initial steps, the bigger question that needs answering in regard to health and social care is: given the unique situation the Scottish government finds itself in, what can be done to redress the gradual destruction and privatization these institutions have faced over the past 10 years?

    We have been consistently told over the past 2 months it is the public's responsibility to protect the NHS, what about the government's responsibility? Surely they are now duty bound to plan a future that ensures the long term sustainability and benefit of these sectors for the communities and not profit.

    Here are 2 articles, from the British Medical Journal and the Scottish Centre for European Relations respectively to help illustrate the point:
    https://www.scer.scot/database/ident-12745
    https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1465

  • Posted by Qwe123 May 05, 2020 at 17:19

    This seems reasonable. If possible, splitting hospitals into COVID and nonCOVID might reduce transmission and increase uptake of services.

  • Posted by DouglasB May 05, 2020 at 17:42

    there ARE doctors currently confessing to being "embarrassed" courtesy of them not being fully utilised. They need to get access to people other than those with cv-19.
    Could Scotland perhaps not take a lead and start initiating electronic monitoring via the new bracelets readily available ? A high percentage of the non-infectious workloads, through diabetes, obesity, etc, could perhaps be addressed by remote monitoring. People have generally reacted well to remote 'doctoring' over the telephone, could this not be extended, so that those who wish to improve themselves get a monitoring device for activities & for stress, in addition to which the modern bracelets can then tie in with proposed blue-tooth apps & assist in isolation procedures.

  • Posted by dizzydancer May 05, 2020 at 18:38

    Really important for mental health treatment to resume, as well as social care in the community. As with other aspects of the health service, this is otherwise going to see a massive surge in people needing support and care from the NHS that is impossible to manage at the best of times. Crisis management is understandable under the circumstances but it cannot continue.

  • Posted by ls83 May 05, 2020 at 21:37

    We need to restart NHS services. Early detection of cancer is vital and screening should be restarted. Other elective surgery should also restart. NHS staff are redeployed like pigs to the slaughter to work in areas they are unfamiliar with, stressed and all the time thinking about the huge backlog of suspended services knowing there's no let up in their own work that is paused to work in other areas to up staff with the number of NHS staff falling victim to the virus. Staff testing should be routine and regular and would allow confidence in staff treating people with non covid who are wholly being neglected at present.

  • Posted by Babscox22 May 05, 2020 at 22:37

    We must get NHS urgent and routine services back and running ASAP. People’s physical and mental health depend on this. Where people are waiting on vital tests to allow their lives to move forward is emotionally and physically draining not to mention the lack of face to face medical support.this is not just vital cancer services but cardiac and other urgent care.

  • Posted by Arrynwidd May 05, 2020 at 23:45

    I agree appointments for a varied number of individuals requiring important investigations and life saving treatments within the NHS, however I do have my reservations with important clinics running with the lack of PPE and Covid 19 testing.

  • Posted by Shielder May 06, 2020 at 01:01

    I think it's vital the public feel safe entering a health facility. Most are staying away for fear of catching covid-19 in their GP's or hospital's. When positive case numbers are down I would like to see all patients being treated in the one hospital site and the staff treating them not moving between departments. It's been mentioned at enough Briefings now that there is transmission in hospitals so I think this needs to be addressed quickly, it's making the public very nervous. Re: GP's, I would like to see appts split into sessions to take the various groups into account, i.e. early morning appts for the shielded group, mid-morning for the vulnerable groups etc. Also, now we have more data about the morbidity rates, having seen the breakdown of the different health factors in the shielded group, I think obesity, asthmatic, diabetic, hypertension and heart condition should also be included in this group. I would also like to see drive through centres as currently used for covid testing be used for the flu vaccination and I would like everyone in a household with a shielded person to be offered the flu jag too.

  • Posted by TonyFinn May 06, 2020 at 13:45

    Give people the help they need now and these services should never have been closed in the first case particularly nhs services reaction needs to be proportionate I can get my car fixed but can’t go to the dentist not to mention all the people who are missing out on diagnosis and treatment for their conditions and the consequences of delay

  • Posted by mwsutherland May 06, 2020 at 18:53

    I think elective surgery should be restarted perhaps in different hospitals to Covid 19 patients. I am waiting for a hip replacement and becoming less and less able to keep fit and well as mobility is increasingly restricted.

  • Posted by Matusam May 06, 2020 at 21:56

    I would not open daycare services for older people at present, some centres are 24 placement. I would propose daycare staff do outreach work in , service users home, which would keep them safe, until a guarantee, that the pandemic, has found a cure.

  • Posted by CHill May 06, 2020 at 22:08

    Having had 2 appointments for DENTAL treatment in April cancelled, followed by loosing a large piece of tooth on the other side of my mouth, I need to see my Dentist as I have been struggling for several weeks with what I can eat.

  • Posted by Salr May 06, 2020 at 23:15

    The hospitals are eerily quiet. Doctors are being asked to take more time off as there isn't enough for them to do. We can all see the numbers of those in hospital with coronavirus on the Scottish Government website. The numbers are relatively low in most areas and falling. What is the Government waiting for before it starts up treatment for cancer patients, screening etc. If I was a cancer patient at the moment I would be inclined to bring an action for judicial review of the Scottish Government's decision making here.

  • Posted by DebbieD May 07, 2020 at 09:21

    Screening, elective surgery, Community children's services should recommence.

    Research should be commissioned into the changing behaviour for attending A&E during lockdown should be commissioned to understand if there was more appropriate use of the service.

  • Posted by jade1760 May 07, 2020 at 10:25

    I would desperately like treatments for cancer and other diseases plus elective surgery and investigation to restart. And for the future, please can NHS Scotland think again about forcing people from the Highlands and Islands to have to take three days off work and pay for two nights accommodation for appointments with consultants.

  • Posted by pdm May 07, 2020 at 14:00

    Measures to allow NHS dental surgeries to reopen asap would be helpful. Whilst I appreciate that this is likely to be heavily dependant on PPE for protection of both dental staff and patients, it might be possible to start off with "check-up" appointments which generally do not involve any invasive procedures. Patients should be free from respiratory problems, and obviously Covid-19 symptom free. If follow-up work is required, might there be appropriate capacity in hospitals with the appropriate equipment and PPE to undertake the more "risky" procedures.

  • Posted by roobie May 08, 2020 at 09:24

    Mental health services need to be fully reinstated as a matter of urgency, and all those urgent referrals downgraded during rhe lockdown, reconsidered as a priority. If a gp considers a referral urgent, their medical judgement should be respected.

    Some hospitals, if not already implemented, should be designated non Covid hospitals for cancer/other care and investigations.

  • Posted by jchapman88 May 08, 2020 at 19:54

    The messaging about protecting the NHS has made people think they shouldn't use - or should feel guilty about using - services when they need to even though they're unrelated to treating Covid-19 patients. This and the unnecessary and disproportionate suspension of other services risks jeopardising many more lives than those that are taken by Covid-19. Any and all services that can possibly be restarted should be urgently - yes there are some risks but there are risks to hospital visits and treatment at the best of times, and greater risks to leaving serious and aggressive illnesses untreated.

  • Posted by FM79 May 09, 2020 at 13:08

    The NHS is not overwhelmed by covid19, the covid19 hospital built in Glasgow has not treated any patients. The NHS needs to focus proportionatly on ALL medical needs. More people are dying of other health issues than covid, the weekly nrs stats prove this, the NHS needs to start getting back to treating other illness before it's too late

  • Posted by Christina May 09, 2020 at 18:15

    Now it's more important than ever with mental healt services! I've struggled for years and in a way I'm very used to isolation but because of the lockdown, loss of jobs etc. more and more people struggle and it's more important than ever to get help and feel supported. And it's not easy to reach out for help either because it takes a lot of courage and energy to do so. I'm already in the system but I find myself not wanting to burden the NHS and I feel guilt, but also abandonment. When it's constantly in your face that we need to protect the elderly, the vulnerable, the NHS etc. it feels like me and others like me do not count as vulnerable when it is in fact people like us that may end up seriously harming ourselves if we feel that we don't matter.

  • Posted by Brett May 11, 2020 at 21:59

    Home carers have a point of contract. They may have not required to contact them with an urgent need. They are perhaps shielding their family member with no other rest bite. Day services cancelled and home support removed. Increase contact with them, even just a chat would do them a power of good. They may have friends and other family nearby. But the opportunity to speak to a health professional or impartial support worker in confidence would be most welcomed. They are important and not forgotten. Care for our home carers. Take suggestions from them specifically.
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