Bureaucrats take lion's share of new NHS jobs compared to front-line staff

Published on Tuesday 15 December 2009 21:49

THE rise in the number of NHS bureaucrats has outstripped increases in front-line staff in Scotland, new figures reveal.

The statistics show that almost half of new staff recruited in the 12 months from September 2008 were administrators.

Overall staff rose by 2.1 per cent to 168,976. However, in that same period, the number of backroom staff increased by 4.2 per cent.

In comparison, the number of nurses, including midwives, rose just 1.1 per cent, while the total of GPs went up a mere 0.4 per cent.

However, the largest jump in numbers was with dentists, whose numbers rose by 9 per cent to more than 5,000 in an attempt to tackle a crisis over dental coverage in Scotland, particularly the Highlands and North-east.

But with 1,589 administration jobs out of the total 3,425 extra NHS posts, opposition MSPs are asking questions about how SNP ministers are prioritising limited resources.

They have pointed out that SNP finance spokesman John Swinney has often emphasised that he wants to find savings by cutting backroom staff to protect the frontline, as money gets tighter because of the recession and British debt crisis.

Conservative spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said: "In this age of technology, shared services and more advanced administrative procedures, we should be seeing a reduction of 1,500 administrative staff not an increase.

"It has to be remembered that every salary for additional administrators is one less person on the front line in the NHS."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Ross Finnie added: "The focus of the NHS must be on frontline services. Administrative jobs must not come at the expense of more doctors, more nurses and more dentists."

However, the Scottish Government said the figures revealed that the NHS has improved under the SNP's tenure with increases in most areas of staff.

The government pointed out that the biggest decrease was in management-grade staff whose numbers dropped 8.4 per cent to 1,377.

This has come at a time when questions have also been asked about the number of NHS staff, particularly senior executives, commanding salaries of more than 100,000.

The Liberal Democrats have argued that top earners' salaries alone cost the NHS 300 million a year.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "We now have more doctors, nurses and health professionals working in Scotland than ever before which is good news for patients throughout the country.

"Our staff work tirelessly to deliver a first-class service – both in hospitals and the community – and I would like to pay tribute to their efforts."

She added: "This year, we have seen how, faced with a flu pandemic, NHS staff have risen to the challenge.

"I am sure there are more challenges ahead and I am confident that our staff will continue to deliver the excellent services that we all expect and deserve."