NHS nurses are voting with their feet as SNP's boasts ring hollow

In 2023, the Scottish Government set up a taskforce charged with making Scotland “the best place for midwives and nurses to thrive at work". Two years on, and Health Secretary Neil Gray has hailed its report as an “important milestone”.

Meanwhile, fewer and fewer people are wanting to become nurses. New figures show 4,560 applied to study nursing, the fourth successive year in which numbers have declined. And the number of nurses leaving the profession increased by 5.5 per cent in the year to March 2024.

Nurses need to have the time to care for their patients, not just treat them (Picture: Christopher Furlong) | Getty Images

What this means is more unfilled vacancies, increased workloads on under-pressure staff, stress, burnout, and “compassion fatigue”, prompting more and more to want to leave. To stop this downward spiral, the NHS needs to gain a new reputation as a good place to work, where nurses have time to not just treat but care for their patients.

Achieving that, Health Secretary, would be a milestone worth boasting about. However well-produced, a report means nothing unless it actually leads to tangible improvements. Given the SNP’s track record, few will be holding their breath.