The Health and Social Care Winter Preparedness Plan for Scotland 2023/24 has been published.

COSLA's Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Councillor Paul Kelly, said:

"As key partners in ensuring people and communities are safe and cared for over the winter period, and indeed throughout the year, local authorities have a vital role in enabling people to continue to safely access the care and support they need when they need it. We expect the winter to be a very challenging period across the whole health and social care system at a time when the system is already experiencing significant demand pressures and challenges with recruitment and retention. That is why COSLA have worked closely with Scottish Government in producing this plan, recognising the importance of the integration of health and social care, and the clear leadership role of Local Government in doing everything we can to maximise capacity across health, social care, and social work, and ensure people get safe and timely access to services during peak winter pressures."

Further information

The Plan can be found here, with a joint foreword from Cllr Kelly and Cabinet Secretary Michael Mathieson.