THE NHS is coping much better with winter pressures than it did last year, but the worst of the winter may yet be ahead, Health Secretary Alex Neil has warned.
Mr Neil, speaking yesterday during a visit to open a new unit at Victoria Infirmary in Kirkcaldy, Fife, said changes made as a result of a £50 million action plan had helped bring about the improvement in the health service.
But he warned against complacency, saying the worst of the winter problems "could be yet to come".
Figures last week revealed only five hospital wards had to be shut because of the norovirus - compared to 13 on January 27 last year.
Flu rates are also at expected levels for this time of year, with 8.4 GP consultations per 100,000 people.
Last winter was a busy period for the health service, with 323 people having to wait more than 12 hours in hospital A&E departments in December 2012. But Mr Neil said the performance of accident and emergency departments had "stood up well" over the recent Christmas period.
In February last year the Health Secretary announced a £50m overhaul for emergency and urgent healthcare services to try to improve treatment times and patient care - with £9m of this already released to health boards.
The emergency care action plan aims to change the way people are admitted to hospital, help them leave as soon as they are ready and improve links with other areas of healthcare in order that support is in place in the community.
Mr Neil said yesterday: "NHS boards have to be ready to manage potential increases in demand over the winter period and last year we saw increased pressures on our hospitals in the peak of winter.
"That is why we introduced our three-year £50m emergency care action plan - so that health boards can put in place a number of new measures to ensure we can cope with the added strain that winter can bring.
"Over £9m of this money has already been released to health boards to support their planning, which is triple the amount given to boards for winter planning last year."
Mr Neil added: "Thanks to improvements made through the action plan, I am encouraged that so far this winter NHS boards are reporting they are coping much better and that performance in particular in A&E stood up well over the Christmas period."
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