RUSHES: NHS Crisis: Nicola Sturgeon press conference

NHS Crisis: Nicola Sturgeon press conference; SCOTLAND: Edinburgh: St Andrew's House: INT Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister of Scotland) press conference opening statement SOT (Part 4 of 4) - I have already mentioned that Covid and flu are contributing significantly to current pressures. We can all help ourselves – and also the NHS – by taking reasonable precautions to reduce the risk of getting and spreading these viruses. Vaccination continues to be absolutely vital. So if you are eligible for a Covid or flu vaccine and haven’t had it already, please do get vaccinated – and remember if you are the parent or carer of a child who is eligible, please make sure they get vaccinated too. It is also worth remembering that many of the basic protections we stressed during the pandemic are still relevant now – good hand hygiene, good ventilation, for example. And anyone with symptoms of a respiratory infection –a cold, flu or Covid – should try to stay at home if at all possible, and avoid contact with others. And if you do need to leave home, wear a face covering which fits well. More generally, we continue to advise those over the age of 12 should wear face coverings when on public transport or in public indoor spaces. That includes hospitals, GP surgeries and other healthcare facilities. By protecting our own health in these ways we also do help to protect the NHS. Now we anticipated and planned for this winter to be difficult – but, even so, current pressures are exceptional and severe. So once again, my thanks go to the entire health and care workforce. And I can assure everyone that government is resolutely focussed on supporting the NHS through these challenges. I chaired a meeting of our cross government resilience committee on Friday. I will do so will again this Friday and weekly for the foreseeable future. There are no easy solutions – given the nature and scale of the challenges faced right now. But by enabling more pe...