However, the plan fails to acknowledge that Scotland is in the midst of a nursing workforce crisis, or that persistently high vacancies across the NHS and social care are having a serious impact right now. Last winter was recognised as the worst on record and corridor care, and the use of additional capacity beds, has continued over recent months.
Commenting following the Cabinet Secretary’s statement to parliament on winter planning and resilience across health and social care, RCN Scotland Director, Colin Poolman, said:
“Today’s statement will not provide much relief or hope for our hard-pressed nursing staff working in health and care services as winter approaches. Scotland is in the midst of a nursing workforce crisis, with persistently high vacancy levels across the NHS and social care. There are over 5,600 vacant nursing and midwifery posts in the NHS alone. Too many experienced nursing staff are leaving, worn down by the years of understaffing and underinvestment. And too few are choosing to study our safety critical profession.
“We agree with the Scottish Government’s aim to ensure people receive care at home, or as close to home as possible, where clinically appropriate. To achieve this the community health and social care sectors must have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, in the right place. Yet the latest workforce statistics show just how much pressure our community nursing teams are under with 11% of posts vacant.
“To tackle the nursing crisis across the whole health and care system, the Scottish government must deliver on its commitments to reform the Agenda for Change pay system and to ensure the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce delivers a robust and funded action plan to support retention, increase the numbers studying nursing and improve the workplace culture and wellbeing of health and care staff.”
