This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64101348

The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
NHS workers 'dreading' going to work, says BMA union Top doctor says 'no way' Scottish NHS can survive
(about 2 hours later)
The strain facing Scotland's health service has left many staff "dreading" going into work, according to the British Medical Association (BMA). The NHS is "broken" in Scotland and will not be able to survive in its current form, the head of the union that represents the county's doctors has claimed.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chairman of BMA Scotland, said high vacancy rates and burnout among staff meant the NHS was "spiralling out of control". Dr Iain Kennedy, the chairman of the BMA, said health staff were "exhausted, burnt-out and broken".
Dr Kennedy claimed there was a danger of the "whole system collapsing". And he said calls for the Scottish government to take action had fallen on deaf ears.
The Scottish government said this winter was the most challenging the NHS had ever faced. The government acknowledged that the NHS is facing unprecedented pressures.
It said a pandemic backlog, a surge in winter viruses and staff shortages were creating unprecedented pressures. It said this was due to backlogs caused by the Covid pandemic, Brexit-related staff shortages and increases in winter viruses such as flu.
Why we should worry about what is happening in A&E Dr Kennedy said his NHS colleagues had told him over the past fortnight that the "whole health and social care system in Scotland is broken" and called for a "national conversation" on the future of the service.
NHS chiefs discuss having wealthy pay for treatment
GP numbers drop and fewer working full-time
Scottish government to 'impose' pay deal on nursesScottish government to 'impose' pay deal on nurses
Dr Kennedy, a GP in Inverness, told BBC Scotland he had seen personal testimonies from almost 200 doctors in recent weeks and said they made for "grim reading". He told BBC Scotland: "There is no way that the NHS in Scotland can survive - in fact, many of my members are telling me that the NHS in Scotland has died already.
"We are seeing a very stressed workforce. Doctors and other healthcare workers are dreading going into work," he said. "Over the past two weeks I have received testimonies from nearly 200 doctors, and what they're telling me is that the whole health and social care system in Scotland is broken.
"They are firefighting all day and the workforce is already depleted - that is causing other doctors and healthcare workers to go off sick. "They are telling me that NHS Scotland is failing their patients and failing the workforce, and they're suffering from moral injury from constantly having to apologise to their patients."
"My members are telling me that burnout and exhaustion are behind a lot of the absences. Dr Kennedy, who is a GP in Inverness, said an "abject failure of workforce planning" meant that the NHS was now "haemorrhaging" staff.
"Things are spiralling out of control and we need a laser focus on supporting the current workforce, largely around pay, pensions and working conditions." He added: "They've told us that they've had enough, and they've been trying to get action from the Scottish government but their requests are falling on deaf ears."
He said Scottish government plans to recruit another 800 GPs by 2027 were "well off" target and that the number of vacancies in the health service was the worst he had seen in his 30-year career as a doctor.
Dr Iain Kennedy says he "can't remember things being as bad as this" during his careerDr Iain Kennedy says he "can't remember things being as bad as this" during his career
Dr Kennedy said the public understood how bad the situation was, because many were on waiting lists or had relatives not getting the care they needed. Junior doctors in Scotland are preparing for industrial action as part of their demand for higher pay, with Dr Kennedy saying their salaries had "eroded by 23.5% since 2008".
The BMA Scotland chairman said the NHS was "haemorrhaging staff" and problems in social care were having a big impact throughout the system, including at GP surgeries. Unions representing nurses and midwives in Scotland have also rejected the government's latest proposed pay deal and are planning strikes, with dates to be announced next month.
Throughout 2022, many of Scotland's busiest emergency departments failed to deal with patients within the four-hour target, while the number of hospital beds occupied by people who are medically well enough to go home has been at a record high. It comes as the latest figures showed waiting times performance in Scotland's emergency departments has hit another record low.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "The situation we find ourselves in is the result of pandemic backlogs, Brexit-related staff shortages and increases in winter viruses such as flu, which has seen recent a significant rise in the last few weeks - making this winter the most challenging the NHS has ever faced. Only 55% of people were seen and subsequently admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours in the week up to 18 December. The government target is 95% of people who attend A&E to be seen within that timeframe.
The previous low, recorded in the week up to 27 November, was 61.8%.
Why we should worry about what is happening in A&E
There was also an increase of almost 700 in the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in emergency departments, rising to 1,821 during that time period compared to 1,150 the week before.
The number of people waiting more than eight hours also increased by almost 1,500 - from 3,045 to 4,536 - while those waiting more than four hours increased from 9,758 to 11,887.
BBC Scotland revealed last month how NHS leaders in Scotland have discussed creating a "two-tier" health service by having the wealthy pay for treatment, and the possibility of curtailing some free prescriptions.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon - who has faced calls from opposition parties to sack Health secretary Humza Yousaf over his handling of the NHS - said at the time that the founding principles of the NHS were "not up for debate".
Responding to Dr Kennedy's comments, the Scottish government said there were record numbers of NHS staff and more were being recruited as part of a £600m winter resilience plan.
A spokeswoman added: "The situation we find ourselves in is the result of pandemic backlogs, Brexit-related staff shortages and increases in winter viruses such as flu, which has seen recent a significant rise in the last few weeks - making this winter the most challenging the NHS has ever faced.
"We know the difficulties staff are facing and want to repeat our thanks to all those working across all health and social care services this winter to make sure people receive the care they need.""We know the difficulties staff are facing and want to repeat our thanks to all those working across all health and social care services this winter to make sure people receive the care they need."
The Scottish government said Scotland had record numbers of NHS staff and more were being recruited as part of a £600m winter resilience plan.