What steps it is taking to improve care homes' access to NHS services.

The Scottish Government is absolutely clear that we expect anyone who would benefit from access to NHS services to receive it. This includes care home residents, when such services are clinically assessed to be in the best interest for their care. The Scottish Government first published guidance for care homes on 13 March which was updated most recently on 15 May. The guidance has continuously stressed the importance of person centred care, including the need for the right healthcare support for care home residents, whether through healthcare support provided within the care home or through hospital admission where necessary. This is based on clinical assessment and any decisions made for each individual resident is done so against a number of factors. Where a care home resident requires urgent care which cannot be provided in the care home, they should be transferred to hospital following a clinical assessment. All residents should have an up to date anticipatory care plan which sets out the choices of the resident should they become unwell, and it is important that this is taken into consideration when planning place of care. The guidance also outlines the importance of healthcare support from community nursing and GPs practice teams within the care home.
Health Boards have been working closely with GPs, community pharmacists and community nursing teams to co-ordinate support for care homes, to ensure good pathways of care and management of any outbreaks. NHS 24 are putting all calls relating Covid from care homes to Covid hubs to ensure appropriate pathways are followed. They have also developed a suite of content specifically for the care home sector to guide their staff to which resource is best for them. GP Practices continue to be critical in supporting care home residents. They remain the first point of contact for care homes and should continue to provide the same high level of care and medical treatment that they have always provided to their patients in care homes. The Chief Medical Officer wrote to GPs of 17 April with guidance to support their work with care homes. In that letter the CMO asked GPs to reach out to these settings to offer reassurance and support during what is a worrying time for this sector. The Scottish Government has been working with the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) on care homes and they fully support this guidance (they are joint signatories). The way that GPs and community health care teams provide patient care has changed during the pandemic, with increased use of telephone and Near Me assessments where possible to minimise potential transmission of infection through face to face contact. However there are still times when a face to face consultation is clinically necessary, and health and care professionals will continue to enter care settings such as care homes to provide ongoing care and support when required, with appropriate safety measures such as PPE in place.
Health Boards and Local Authorities have also established “Care Home Clinical and Care Professional Oversight Teams” to support care homes during the pandemic. As part of this, multi-disciplinary teams comprising the NHS Director of Public Health; Executive Nurse lead; Medical Director; Chief Social Work Officer; and Partnership Chief Officers alongside colleagues from the Care Inspectorate have been put in place to provide oversight and clinical expertise during the pandemic, in particular on areas of infection prevention and control, support to maintain safe staffing levels, education and training, clinical care and testing.