Dundee East Labour
3 September 2019
The workforce crisis engulfing NHS Scotland has deepened as new figures show vacancies for nurses and consultants are at the their worst levels since the SNP came to power.
New statistics from ISD Scotland show that 6.3 per cent of nursing and midwifery post were vacant as of June 31, the worst level since September 2007. Around 1,000 of these posts have been vacant for more than three months.
Vacancies for medical and dental consultancy posts are also at their highest rates since September 2007. A total of 8.8 per cent of these posts were vacant as of June 31, up from 7.6 per cent in the last year.
The figures come just days after Audit Scotland concluded in a report into the crisis within the GP workforce that the SNP government has not estimated the impact of workforce pressures on primary care services.
Despite warm words and promises from the Health Secretary these figures make clear the problems in our NHS are worsening under Jeane Freeman.
Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Monica Lennon MSP, said:
“These figures are nothing short of dreadful.
“The workforce crisis in NHS Scotland is deepening, heaping pressure onto already overworked staff.
“The SNP government promised that things would get better for staff and patients under Jeane Freeman – it has only got worse.
“It is time for the Health Secretary to admit she has under-resourced our NHS and apologise to those patients and staff she has let down.
“Labour built the NHS and Scottish Labour will continue to hold the SNP to account on its dire record on the health service throughout this new parliamentary session.”
The workforce crisis engulfing NHS Scotland has deepened as new figures show vacancies for nurses and consultants are at the their worst levels since the SNP came to power.
New statistics from ISD Scotland show that 6.3 per cent of nursing and midwifery post were vacant as of June 31, the worst level since September 2007. Around 1,000 of these posts have been vacant for more than three months.
Vacancies for medical and dental consultancy posts are also at their highest rates since September 2007. A total of 8.8 per cent of these posts were vacant as of June 31, up from 7.6 per cent in the last year.
The figures come just days after Audit Scotland concluded in a report into the crisis within the GP workforce that the SNP government has not estimated the impact of workforce pressures on primary care services.
Despite warm words and promises from the Health Secretary these figures make clear the problems in our NHS are worsening under Jeane Freeman.
Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Monica Lennon MSP, said:
“These figures are nothing short of dreadful.
“The workforce crisis in NHS Scotland is deepening, heaping pressure onto already overworked staff.
“The SNP government promised that things would get better for staff and patients under Jeane Freeman – it has only got worse.
“It is time for the Health Secretary to admit she has under-resourced our NHS and apologise to those patients and staff she has let down.
“Labour built the NHS and Scottish Labour will continue to hold the SNP to account on its dire record on the health service throughout this new parliamentary session.”