CPOC welcomes Scottish Government’s NHS Recovery Plan

The Scottish Government yesterday published its NHS Recovery Plan, committing more than £1 billion of targeted investment for the recovery of services post-Covid. The plan sets out key ambitions and actions to be developed and delivered now and over the next several years to tackle the backlog and to put the service on a more sustainable footing for the future.  

 We are particularly pleased to see the Scottish Government recognise that this recovery plan and all its aspirations rests with having an adequately staffed and trained perioperative care workforce.  We look forward to working with the Government and NHS Education Scotland to help drive forwards its new National Workforce Strategy that has the multidisciplinary, flexible perioperative care workforce at its heart.  

We also welcome the additional £114.5 million to support the delivery of Scotland’s National Cancer Plan, particularly the support announced for prehabilitation for cancer patients. At the Centre for Perioperative Care, we have evidence showing that prehabilitiation or preparing for surgery, especially for high risk patients or in cancer surgery, reduces complications, reduces length of stay, is cost-effective and improves patient empowerment and experience.  

Scotland, like the rest of the UK, faces a waiting times crisis. Prehabilitation – and other perioperative care interventions that support people to make the best use of the waiting period – are needed now more than ever.

The full plan can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2021/08/nhs-recovery-plan/documents/nhs-recovery-plan-2021-2026/nhs-recovery-plan-2021-2026/govscot%3Adocument/nhs-recovery-plan-2021-2026.pdf