This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Scotland’s NHS has ‘too few nurses’
Latest figures have shown that the nursing and midwifery vacancy rate in Scotland has risen to record levels, with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) saying the current situation threatened patient care.
The figures state that the nursing and midwifery vacancy rate stands at 4.5 per cent, the highest ever reported, while ISD Scotland figures revealed that 2,818.9 whole-time equivalent posts were unfilled at the end of March, a 27.5 per cent increase from March 2016. Additionally, the number of such posts lying unfilled for three months or more was up 51.3 per cent year on year to 670.6.
During the same period, the NHS spent a further £8.4 million on nursing and midwifery bank and agency staff, paying out a total of £166.5 million.
The RCN’s Norman Provan warned: "If there aren't the nurses, patients won't receive the care they need. These figures reflect the challenge faced by Scotland's NHS. Across both acute and community settings, there are simply too few nurses.
"The Scottish government can point to the increase in the number of nursing and midwifery staff, but the reality on the ground is that nurses wanting to do their very best for patients are too often coming up against the reality of vacancies in the workforce. Nursing morale is low and teams are struggling to recruit and retain the staff they need."
However, Health Secretary Shona Robison has insisted that staff levels within the NHS have risen to ‘historically high levels’ under the SNP, arguing that the increase in vacancies was, in part, due to the creation of new posts in health boards.
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