Responding to the First Ministers briefing on the NHS and winter pressures, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director, said:
“The First Minister highlighted how difficult things are in our health and care services and this is the daily reality for our members and those they're caring for. Patients are being put at risk and the impact of working under this level of pressure every day cannot be overstated. Scotland’s nursing workforce crisis is at the heart these challenges. We simply don’t have the nursing workforce we need, and it is patients and families who are suffering.
“Our previous warnings have not been listened to. Thousands of nursing posts are vacant, we’re not seeing the numbers we need applying to study nursing and many experienced staff are so worn down they are opting to leave the profession. The Scottish government and employers must do more to value and retain our existing experienced nursing workforce and to attract the workforce of the future - fair pay is a fundamental part of this.
“We also want to see a focus on improving community health and social care services rather than structural reform. There needs to be wider recognition of the role community nursing services play in keeping people healthy, supporting self-care, reducing hospital admissions and supporting timely discharges. Likewise, there is a need to recognise increasing clinical need within care homes and the role of nursing in social care. We must ensure nursing is an attractive career choice across all of health and social care. In the longer term, there needs to be an open and honest discussion about the ongoing level of investment and new ways of working that will be required to meet the growing demands on Scotland’s health and care services.”
