The senior SNP minister has warned that medics at A&E departments are facing intense pressure and has called for other parts of the NHS to “go that extra mile”.
Health Secretary Angela Constance has warned that too many people are being looked after in hospitals for too long as she called on all parts of the NHS to “step up” this winter to alleviate pressure on A&E departments.
The cabinet secretary warned that too much pressure during the winter is falling on emergency medics, with an appeal for other parts of the NHS to “do that bit more”.
Ms Constance has published the Scottish government’s preparedness plans for the annual strain on the health service.
The plans include expanding hospital at home services, adopting a “home first approach”, a public awareness campaign to tell people where to go when they need help, encouraging people to get flu vaccines, and efforts to tackle delayed discharge.
READ MORE: Warnings patients are more likely to die after SNP unveil 'flimsy' NHS winter plans
The British Medical Association said there are “worrying signs” this winter will be more challenging than previous years.
But speaking at a fringe event at the SNP conference, Ms Constance vented her frustration about “different performances in different parts of the country” in relieving the pressure around delayed discharge.
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“While you would expect a bit of variation, the variation is quite stark”, she said.
“If initiatives like discharge without delay or discharge to assess work in some parts of the country, why are we just keeping that practice to one part of the country?
“There is an immediate ask to as well as rolling out our increased capacity for hospital at home but also those initiatives and interventions we know work for delayed discharge.”
But the Health Secretary warned that there are lots of people throughout Scotland’s hospitals, outwith delayed discharges, that should leave earlier.
READ MORE: We are providing unsafe levels of care even before winter, says leading Scottish A&E doctor
She said: “As well as having a real, sharp focus on delayed discharge, there is also a question for other parts of hospitals.
“Ninety-seven per cent of hospital discharges are not delayed. Actually, are there people throughout the hospital, throughout various wards that could be discharged quicker.”
Ms Constance argued that emergency medicine clinicians “feel that they carry all the risk”.
She added: “They are the ones that are really under the cosh, they have to work at a pace and an absolute intensity.
“What they are rightly asking for is for other parts of the system, before the front door, but also in the hospital system is for other people to do that bit more so that there’s that sense of a bit more shared responsibility working together.
“I’m clear that every part of the system has to go that extra mile - we cannot leave it all to that one party. We’re all going to have to step up.”