FIFE MSP WELCOMES HEALTHBOARD FUNDING FOR WINTER RESILIENCE
Published date : 10 Sep 2018
FIFE MSP WELCOMES HEALTHBOARD FUNDING FOR WINTER RESILIENCE
NHS Fife to receive an additional £639,744
MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Jenny Gilruth, has welcomed extra funding for NHS boards to help cope with added pressures over the winter months.
Provided earlier than ever before, the funding, which comes on top of the £9 million already allocated to support unscheduled care all year round, will allow health boards to put robust plans in place quickly.
With NHS Fife set to receive £639,744, the investment will support health and social care services to increase weekend discharges where patients are fit to go home.
It will help boards with staff planning over the festive bank holidays, ensuring both admission and discharge rates can be maintained, with a focus on better use of community pharmacy and more support to direct people to the best service for them.
Commenting, Jenny Gilruth MSP, said:
“Winter creates particular pressures on our health and social care system here in Fife. It’s important that we are well prepared and that’s why the Scottish Government are allocating funding earlier than ever before.
“This significant investment will ensure NHS Fife can put appropriate plans in place – making sure people are discharged in a timely way and that the right staff are in place throughout the system.
“Last year, NHS Fife used extra winter funding to maintain performance levels and reduce delays. It’s great to see that good examples like this are now being shared and learned from across the country.”
Tricia Marwick, Chair of NHS Fife, said:
“Last winter was an extremely difficult period. At NHS Fife we were extremely proud of our staff and how they responded to the annual challenges of the winter period compounded with the impact of the ‘Beast from the East’.
“We have taken time to reflect on our response last winter and to review our systems and process as part of our Winter Planning for 2018/19.
“We are confident that our plans for this winter, working in partnership with Fife Health and Social Care partnership, will serve the people of Fife well and the lessons learned and experience gained from 2017/18 will ensure that we continue to deliver our frontline services and elected programme over the winter period.”
Background
Breakdown of winter funding allocations 2018/19
2018-19 NRAC Target %
Allocation Amount
Ayrshire and Arran
7.41%
£696,460
Borders
2.10%
£197,790
Dumfries and Galloway
2.98%
£280,067
Fife
6.81%
£639,744
Forth Valley
5.42%
£509,419
Grampian
9.87%
£928,022
Greater Glasgow & Clyde
22.34%
£2,099,719
Highland
6.44%
£605,582
Lanarkshire
12.35%
£1,160,666
Lothian
14.80%
£1,391,605
Orkney
0.48%
£45,357
Shetland
0.49%
£46,066
Tayside
7.85%
£737,734
Western Isles
0.66%
£61,771
SAS
–
£300,000
NHS 24
–
£300,000
Local Reporters, East Fife Mail, Glenrothes Gazette, Courier (Fife), HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
