Act now on social care or risk patient deaths due to staff shortages in Scotland, MSPs told

Scotland is facing a “burnout pandemic” among social care workers, Unison head of social care John Mooney has told MSPs.

The end of winter may see investigations into deaths as a result of staff shortages, Mr Mooney said on Tuesday.

Mr Mooney gave evidence on Tuesday to the Scottish Parliament health, social care and sport committee about winter preparedness in the health and social care system, alongside representatives from various sectors.

Asked to summarise issues ahead of winter, Mr Mooney told the committee: “We are now facing a burnout pandemic.

Between March 1 and May 31 2020, 5,204 patients were discharged from NHS hospitals to care homes.

“We already have investigations into why there were so many Covid deaths and I am really concerned that at the end of this winter we are going to be looking at investigating deaths as a result of staff shortages.

“I really can't impress upon you enough the messages coming from our members that they need help, they need more staff, they need more respect at work.

"They need to be valued, they need a level of fair pay and other measures to try and keep people within the system … it’s very easy to see why people are choosing to move elsewhere to other areas where the stress is less and the pay is the same.”

Mr Mooney’s stark warnings were echoed by concerns from others giving evidence, including representatives from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, BMA Scotland, the Royal College of Nursing, the Allied Health Professions Federation and the Coalition of Care and Support Providers.

All those giving evidence highlighted the need for more staff.

Colin Poolman, of the Royal College of Nursing, said existing workforce planning measures were not sufficient.

“We need to plan not for what we can afford, but what we need,” he said.

Dr John Thomson, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and Dr Andrew Buist, of the British Medical Association GP Committee, both said their sectors are facing worrying shortfalls in recruitment and retention.

Annie Gunner Logan, representing the Coalition of Care and support Providers in Scotland, said there needed to be a “complete reappraisal” of the value of social care.

“Social care is often only considered in terms of how it contributes to or relieves pressure on the NHS, she said, but should be thought of as a public service in its own right,” she said.

Ms Gunner Logan called for “immediate” action on pay and conditions in social care, as while plans for a national care service show promise they will not come into effect for some time.

“My worry is that is still years away," she said.

"We're talking about this winter and the national care service is not going to be here for a long time, so we need to do something much more immediate.”

Mr Mooney added: “Listening to our members, the real answer here is recruitment.

“We need to boost recruitment to take the pressure off the people that are currently delivering services, because they are so close to burnout.”

He cited members asking the union to “get us help soon or it will be too late”, and “help us before we burn out”.

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