Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Sue Webber has called on the SNP Government to guarantee that all council areas across Scotland will have the resources provided to them to ensure that roads and pavements are properly gritted this winter to prevent placing further strain on the NHS.
Sue Webber’s call comes after Professor Griffin from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh called for roads and pavements to be gritted properly in January 2021 as icy conditions would lead to accidents that the NHS does not have the capacity to deal with. While this was in the context of preventing Covid infections, the same case can now be made about reducing emergency admissions given the pressures the NHS is facing.
Questioning Humza Yousaf, Sue Webber asked, “Can the Cabinet Secretary guarantee that all council areas across Scotland will have resources provided to them to ensure that roads and pavements are properly gritted this winter to prevent placing further strain on the NHS?”
Commenting, Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Sue Webber said: “Scotland’s NHS is in crisis. A&E waiting times are at record highs and the ambulance service is at breaking point. The SNP finally requested the help of the British Army in tackling the crisis, but this will not be enough.
“It is vital that roads and pavements are gritted properly to prevent placing more pressure on our NHS.
“Despite the conversation that has taken place between the Cabinet Secretary and the Chief Medical Officer, the refusal of Humza Yousaf to commit to guaranteeing that all council areas across Scotland will be provided with resources to do this is extremely disappointing, especially given that only today the State of Emergency in the Scottish NHS was extended until March 2022 by the SNP Scottish Government.”
