2,000 fewer nurses under the SNP as fears raised for strain on frontline staff

SCOTLAND now has 2,000 fewer nurses working in the NHS under the SNP Government, new figures show.

The cut in frontline healthcare staff was condemned by patient groups, trade unions and opposition parties, who warned of a “significant strain” being put on staff who are struggling to deliver proper standards of care.

Statistics released yesterday showed the number of nurses and midwifery posts fell by 45 in the past three months – a drop of 2,000 in three years.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also revealed that, on top of this, there were currently 1,390 nurse and midwife vacancies in Scotland – 400 more than in June.

These empty posts have been created as a result of jobs being downgraded and nurses having to take pay cuts to do the same jobs, the organisation claimed.

The RCN also said some of the posts were for specialisms where there were fewer qualified staff and grading levels had been changed for some posts, preventing many nurses applying.

Theresa Fyffe, RCN director in Scotland, described the fall in nurse numbers as “bad news for patients”.

She said: “We can’t escape the fact that since 2009 we have lost more than 2,000 nursing staff. Cuts to the workforce are not only bad news for patient care, but mean remaining staff in the NHS are increasingly over-stretched.

“With increasing cost pressures on boards, an ageing population and increasing demand for services, we need to be sure that the nursing workforce is sustainable and able to deliver high-quality care for every
patient into the future.”

The number of nursing and midwifery staff was 56,263 at the end of September, compared with 56,309 at the same time in 2011.

Previous figures show 57,878 nurses and midwives were employed in September 2008, and this rose to 58,428 in 2009.

The RCN says the drop in staffing levels is a result of cost-savings by health boards and includes voluntary redundancy and not replacing posts that
become vacant.

Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said the reduced nursing levels had led to an increase in the number of complaints from patients.

She said: “Not having adequate nursing staff numbers is one of the main reasons complaints are at an all-time high.