Question reference: S6W-02898
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 14 September 2021
-
Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards notify the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care of the Code Black status of hospitals and, if so, how (a) this is communicated and (b) many times this has happened in each of last three years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Each Health Board operates their own escalation policy for the management of inpatient capacity that includes well established processes with locally agreed trigger points for maintaining a safe service and ensuring patient safety.
Health Boards across the country are operating under significant pressure due to the direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic, which has been the biggest challenge the NHS has faced in its 73 year existence.
The Scottish Government is in daily contact with all Health Boards to monitor the pressures in the system and continues to support improvement work to minimise delays for patients no matter where they are in the system.