Scotland publishes UK’s first integrated workforce plan

Scotland has published the UK’s first integrated health and social care workforce plan, created in partnership with COSLA.

The plan sets out how health and social care services will meet demand and ensure there are enough staff with the right skills in place across health and social care services.

This includes an increase of 375 Whole Time Equivalent district nurses over the next five years and an 8.6% increase in the number of Mental Health Officers (MHOs) employed by local authorities.

Sixty training places for Clinical Psychologists will also be created and student nursing intake will increase by 5%, creating 4,206 places for 2020-21.

There will also be a training programme, already underway at NHS Tayside, to upskill Interventional Radiologists in Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT). Backed by £600,000 from the Scottish Government it is envisaged the programme will be rolled out across the country with the first patients undergoing the procedure towards the end of next year.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This is the UK’s first integrated health and social care workforce plan and it will be invaluable in helping us to anticipate and respond to the changing and growing demand faced by our health and social care services.

“One key example of this is our commitment to create a national thrombectomy service to treat stroke victims - a vital step in the planning and delivery of a comprehensive stroke service for Scotland.

“We have record numbers working across our health and social care services – with NHS staffing levels up 11.3% since 2006 and the social care workforce at its highest level since reports began. As this plan outlines, the threat of a ‘no deal’ Brexit remains, and as a responsible government we will continue to do all we can to protect our health and social care services.”