HEALTH chiefs at NHS Lanarkshire are considering whether to "pull back" on elective care amid rising Covid cases and workforce pressures. 

In a statement, Heather Knox, the health board's chief executive, said the senior management team would hold a Gold Command meeting tomorrow to consider their options. 

The number of people in hospital in Lanarkshire with recently diagnosed Covid has more than doubled over the past two weeks, to 45, including six in intensive care. 

Rising case numbers across Scotland as a whole are also leading to more staff having to self-isolate, while A&E departments are also struggling with an return to pre-pandemic attendance levels complicated by higher numbers of complex cases requiring admission than would normally be seen in summer. 

READ MORE: Hospitals 'full and bursting' as pandemic backlog hits NHS 

Emergency medical doctors have spoken of seeing more people presenting with undiagnosed cancers than they would have done pre-pandemic, and of patients seeking help for chronic illnesses such as diabetes which have deteriorated during lockdown. 

Meanwhile, hospitals have been trying to remobilise to clear waiting list backlogs built up during lockdown. 

On Tuesday, Raigmore hospital in the Highlands declared a rare 'Code Black' alert, warning that it was reaching capacity. 

READ MORE: Surveillance indicates 85% of Scots had Covid antibodies by mid-June even as cases soared 

Speaking of the situation facing Lanarkshire, Ms Knox said: "While the vaccination programme has given us all hope, the challenges caused by pressures on our emergency departments, rising Covid numbers and workforce pressures, are causing difficulties for staff across both acute and community services.

"I am aware of the pressure this is putting on everyone and want to offer my reassurance that we are working to try and alleviate this pressure.

I have asked my team to both look at what we can do to release more staff to support and also sadly to consider if we now need to pull back on some of our elective care services."

READ MORE: Delta variant will 'rush through vaccinated and unvaccinated' without mitigation measures

Ms Knox said a Gold Command meeting would be held by the senior team tomorrow "where we will identify solutions to the current challenges".

"A further message will be issued after Gold Command updating staff on some of the solutions we plan to implement as quickly as possible," she added. 

Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said the situation was "incredibly worrying". 

“If elective treatment is cancelled then waiting lists will grow ever longer.

“With NHS Lanarkshire at breaking point, Humza Yousaf simply must wake up and take action.”