Nursing union demands action on NHS Scotland vacancy crisis

A major trade union is set to meet with the Scottish Government today to demand action on the nursing vacancy crisis in NHS Scotland, which it says is “impacting on the safety and quality of care” of the healthcare service.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland is due to sit down with newly-appointed health secretary Michael Matheson as a direct result of the trade union’s mandate for strike action, which comes from its pay dispute with the Scottish Government.

According to the RCN, “the views and experiences of existing and future nursing staff must inform” the new Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, which has been set up to discuss the vacancy crisis. The taskforce will make a series of recommendations to address staff shortages and ensure a sustainable nursing workforce in the longer term.

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The taskforce will consider actions to support the retention and development of existing nursing staff and to encourage more people to consider a career in nursing. The RCN’s proposals include a commitment to engaging with and listening to nursing staff in both health and social care, “to understand the unique challenges they face”.

A nurse puts on PPE in a wardA nurse puts on PPE in a ward
A nurse puts on PPE in a ward

Colin Poolman, the RCN’s Scotland director, said: “Scotland simply doesn’t have the registered nurses and nursing support workers it needs and patients and care home residents are suffering as a result. The Scottish Government’s steps to address the workforce crisis haven’t delivered.

“We need to act now to stop more experienced nursing staff leaving the profession and to attract the workforce of the future.

“The views and experiences of nursing staff, those studying nursing and those considering nursing as a career, will be essential in informing and shaping what is actually required to guarantee nursing becomes a career of choice once again.

“The Cabinet secretary must ensure the taskforce delivers funded, timely and meaningful actions to retain nursing staff, to address the unsustainable level of vacancies, to expand routes into nursing and ultimately to grow Scotland’s nursing workforce to ensure the profession can meet the health and care needs of the people of Scotland today and in the future.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed Mr Matheson would be meeting with the RCN for the first planned taskforce meeting. “The Cabinet secretary for NHS recovery, health and social care is due to meet with the Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery taskforce on Thursday, April 6 to discuss building sustainable and skilled nursing and midwifery workforces, ensuring attractive varied career choices, where all are respected and empowered and where staff actively choose to stay their whole career.”

At the end of last year, more than 8 per cent of nursing and midwifery posts were unfilled in Scotland’s NHS alone, including over 4,000 registered nurse posts.

According to the RCN, staff shortages are impacting on the safety and quality of care and the wellbeing and morale of nurses and nursing support workers. The recent Audit Scotland review of the NHS in Scotland stated that addressing the workforce crisis was key for NHS recovery.

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