Health services in Fife set to re-start - but they may look very different

Health bosses in Fife have published a plan to re-start a range of healthcare and clinical services which were hit by the impact of the coronavirus lockdown.

But they will operate very differently to take into account social distancing.

The draft plan also envisages changes to buildings to keep staff and patients safe.

All non-urgent activity was halted in Scotland’s hospitals in mid-March 2020 to enable health boards to deal with the pandemic, and ensure life saving treatment continued safely.

NHS Fife submitted its blueprint to Scottish Government earlier this month.

It outlines how both hospital and community-based healthcare services can be brought back, with the focus on urgent and cancer care, followed by a phased stepping-up of non-urgent treatment.

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Dr Christopher McKenna, medical director, said: “We want to remobilise clinical services as quickly and as safely as we possibly can.

“However, it is important to be aware that this process will likely be gradual and driven by clinical need.

“While the aspiration remains to return to full service as soon as is practically possible, it is crucial that we do so safely and in a manner that allows us to continue to meet the urgent and immediate health needs of the population.”

Another important element of the plan will focus on sustained management of in-patient numbers to ensure there remains sufficient capacity to manage any potential second wave of coronavirus cases.

Patients will also see changes to many services as hospitals and healthcare facilities return to normal.

The need to ensure physical distancing means that the number of face-to-face consultations will be reduced.

Both urgent and non-urgent consultations are now being supported by video consultations - since March the technology has been deployed in 10,500 cases.

Carol Potter, chief executive, said: “The measures taken at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that healthcare services in Fife can rapidly, and successfully, adapt to meet the needs of the population in an agile and flexible manner.

“Local people have shown great understanding as we made the necessary changes to our services, and their actions to maintain physical distancing have helped slow the spread of the virus, and in turn reduced the numbers of people requiring admission to our hospitals.

“The level of support local people have shown us to this point has been truly remarkable and we continue to count on that support as we seek to resume services in a way that ensures the continued safety of patients and the staff caring for them.”

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