Following a letter to all NHS Scotland Board CEs and relevant stakeholders, and a subsequent meeting with Scottish Government officials and BMA Scotland representatives (19 May),  Scottish Academy was invited (along with BMA Scotland) to set out the issues, concerns, suggestions and observations as the NHS builds back capacity to deal with urgent and routine health care whilst continuing to operate safely in the context of Covid-19. The Scottish Academy and BMA Scotland are committed to continue to work together and each organisation has produced a separate, but complementary initial discussion document.

This document seeks to describe system challenges, principles, and priorities for services within the NHS as we move past the first surge of the disease, when a second surge remains possible, and care must be delivered with COVID19 as a new endemic disease.