The Auditor General’s NHS in Scotland 2023 report will not, however, come as any surprise to RCN members working across health and care services.
This year’s version of the annual report states that the NHS is ‘unable to meet the growing demand for health services’. It also states that ‘significant service transformation is required to ensure the financial sustainability of Scotland’s health service’.
Other key points in the report include:
- Despite growth in the workforce, the number of vacancies remains high and staff turnover and absences have increased
- NHS staff remain under significant pressure and it is not clear that the Scottish government’s current workforce strategy and other ongoing actions will resolve this challenge
- Workforce capacity challenges are having a direct impact on patient safety and experience
- Some staff still lack trust in processes for raising concerns.
The report calls for ministers to set out an overall vision and a clear national strategy for health and social care, including investment in preventative measures.
It also calls for ministers to publish a National Workforce Strategy update for health and social care that includes guidance on improving staff wellbeing and culture and workforce growth projections. The Scottish government has already committed to update the workforce strategy, expected in the spring.
Commenting on the report, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director, said:
“Our members tell us that unacceptable and unsafe working conditions are being normalised, nursing staff are burnt out and the impact of not being able to provide the level of care they want is taking a serious toll.
“We agree with Audit Scotland’s call for an overall vision that coordinates action across health and social care. The report also acknowledges that workforce capacity challenges are having a direct impact on patient safety, with poor skill mix and high use of agency nurses highlighted as specific concerns. Staff feeling concerned about their ability to escalate concerns and be listened to are also identified, something that must be addressed as part of implementation of Scotland’s safe staffing legislation in April.
“The updated National Workforce Strategy must be more rigorous than the previous version, with proper workforce planning, based on current and future demand, to ensure Scotland’s health and care services have the right numbers of staff with the right skills.
“Scotland simply doesn’t have enough nursing staff and the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, led by the Cabinet Secretary, has been set up to address this. The situation is desperate, and the Scottish government must provide the investment, and the political will, needed to ensure the Taskforce delivers meaningful change that tackles the nursing recruitment and retention crisis and delivers a sustainable nursing workforce into the future.”
