THE situation facing the NHS in Scotland is the toughest its medics have ever seen and will run “well into” next year, The National has been told.

Dr Lewis Morrison, chair of professional body BMA Scotland, has called on leaders from across the political spectrum to be “honest” about “what’s possible in our NHS at the moment” over “precarious” services, as long-standing staffing and resourcing issues are exacerbated by Covid-related burnout and high demand.

He said: “Colleagues report this is the hardest things have been in their careers and as a geriatrician that’s my own personal experience too. There is no sign that demand or pressure will start to ease until we are well into the new year.”

NHS Lothian bosses were this week “actively considering” a request for support from the armed forces. NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders are already receiving that help, while heads in Grampian and Ayrshire and Arran have made their own requests. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has indicated that it may follow. Meanwhile, soldiers continue to aid the Scottish Ambulance Service.

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On Tuesday, NHS Lothian told the public only to visit A&E departments if their condition is “life-threatening”, with four hospitals close to capacity. Morrison says both GP surgeries and hospitals are “struggling to cope with unsustainable demand”.

He said: “It’s having a major impact on both their mental and physical wellbeing. We need as much support as possible to help us get through the next months, or we risk many burning out and having to take extended time off or leave the profession altogether – which will clearly make a difficult position even worse for the staff that remain and the patients they are trying to treat.”

The NHS Scotland workforce has grown by more than 20% over nine years of increases. But a senior consultant at one Scottish hospital told The National how staff absences due to Covid and a backlog of annual leave had left their department short, adding: “A lot of older staff have left the profession – it’s been really tough – and we don’t have the number of younger people coming through to replace them that we need.”

Morrison said: “NHS Lothian is not the first and I doubt will be the last health board to seek external assistance over this winter, given the pressures the whole of our NHS is under. Military assistance is welcome but is not a sustainable solution for what is going to be a long winter.

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“The position in many boards emphasises the precarious state of many NHS services. The long-term staffing and resource issues, present before the pandemic, exacerbated by Covid, are why we are here now, combined with ongoing Covid pressures but also all the other healthcare needs we expect the NHS to cope with.”

Calling for “clear, honest public messaging about what’s possible in our NHS at the moment from all politicians”, he went on: “We need ongoing strong, practical support for staff which helps them make it through what is to come while still being able to deliver the best care they can.

“And longer term we need a workforce plan to ensure that we don’t have to rely on military assistance or pleading with retired staff to return. There will be a time when we will have to consider the impact that all the actions taken during the pandemic have had on healthcare, given the hugely difficult balancing act between health, safety and ensuring services continue.”

The Scottish Government has praised the efforts of health staff and apologised to “anyone who has suffered” as a result of not “getting the care” they would expect. It has also announced £300 million to increase NHS and social care capacity and reduce delayed discharges to cut pressures on beds. Earlier this week, a spokesperson said: “The Health Secretary has been very clear that this winter is likely to be the most challenging in the history of the NHS.”