Scottish authorities warned that the country's health services are "under extreme pressure" due to Covid-19, the flu, and higher-than-normal levels of staff sickness, as patients are reportedly being treated outside hospitals, Anadolu Agency reported.

John-Paul Loughrey, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, confirmed that there have been many "clinical incidents and near misses" as patients are forced to wait for their turn to be treated.

"I am aware of colleagues who have three or four incidents to record but they cannot sit down recording when patients have been queueing six to seven hours to be seen. People are frightened to come to work now," Loughrey indicated.

According to media reports, patients have to wait in corridors for up to 40 hours on trolleys due to emergency services hitting full capacity.

In an urgent call for health workers, the National Health Service (NHS) Borders said: "as you are aware, all of our services are under extreme pressure going into the New Year weekend. This is being compounded by higher than normal staff sickness levels due to Covid and Flu."

"We are therefore asking any staff, and particularly those who are not currently rostered to work over the 4 day weekend, to consider what extra time, day or night, you would be able to cover." the NHS Borders added.