NHS Lanarkshire is to begin treating patients whose operations were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The health board said it is making plans to re-start elective surgery at Hairmyres Hospital.

A limited number of patients requiring clinically urgent operations for colorectal and vascular conditions will be treated at clinics running five days a week. Opthamology cases will also be prioritised but patients will be given the option to proceed or not.

Glasgow’s health board said “recovery planning” is underway to allow it to re-start planned surgery while maintaining capacity for any further spikes in Covid-19.

The board said it had carried out Scotland’s first renal transplant in the past two weeks.

READ MORE: Contact tracing to be trialled in Lanarkshire and two other health boards 

NHS Lanarkshire said patients coming in for surgery will be swabbed for coronavirus at their Pre-Assessment Clinic appointment and are required to shield for 14 days prior to their operation.

They will then be re-tested on day 12 of their shielding at a drive through appointment at Hairmyres or at the patient’s doorstep.
would like to thank the public for their continued support at this time.”

Cameron Sharkey, service manager for surgical and critical care, said: “Safety of our patients is our number one priority and we will ensure that any risk to patients as a result of exposure to Covid-19 is minimised.

“The clinics will run as a ‘one-stop’ model at which patients will receive all necessary assessment, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. This single visit will limit potential exposure to Covid-19.”

“At these clinics,  a limited number of patients will be seen during each session. This is to maintain social distancing measures and to reflect the current capacity to carry out surgery.”

READ MORE: Scottish Covid-19 cases reach 14,537 as another nine deaths are confirmed 

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We have now started our recovery planning to enable us to run non COVID with COVID-19 cases. 

“This is being planned in a way which will give us the flexibility to be able to respond quickly to any resurgence of COVID activity but still allow us to restore a ‘business as usual’ service, including an element of catching up with activity that may have been scaled down or ceased as part of the pandemic response. This work is ongoing.

"We have continued to carry out emergency and urgent procedures throughout the pandemic, including trauma."