Question reference: S6W-01481
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 14 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the public are aware that NHS services are fully functioning and that health concerns therefore can and should be acted upon despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
Whilst Covid-19 has change the way the NHS works, the Scottish Government has been clear since the start of the pandemic that NHS remains open and those with health concerns should be able to access the care they need safely and quickly. In a life-threatening emergency, 999 and A&E services will always be available.
A National Door Drop to all households in Scotland in January 2021 - “ A Guide to NHS Scotland Services ” - included information about the different healthcare services the public can seek advice from. This information can be accessed on an ongoing basis on the “ Your Community Health Care Services ” page on NHS Inform. To assist NHS Health Boards with local messaging, the Scottish Government has also produced the Primary Care Digital Communications Toolkit , which provides resources for primary care providers to utilise when communicating with the public on how to access healthcare services.