COVID-19 Healthcare: Healthcare Implications Of The Coronavirus Act

The Coronavirus Act 2020 was given Royal Assent on 25 March 2020. This emergency legislation will be in place for two years and will be reviewed by ministers every six months. In her recent article Gemma Brannigan set out the key healthcare implications. Here, we look at how some of the key provisions - and their implications - of the Act differ in Scotland.

Emergency registration of health and social care professionals: the Act provides for temporary registration of those who perform primary medical services, in order to increase capacity. Interestingly, there is no mention of dentists: the vast bulk of dental services have ceased for the duration of the lockdown. There are different registration procedures, but this is the same list as England. The Act also allows for temporary registration of social workers; student social workers in their final year of training may...