Call 999...we’re short of midwives
EMERGENCY SNP URGED TO DELIVER Labour blast SNP Government over handling of health service recruitment
THE number of nursing and midwifery vacancies in Scotland has almost quadrupled in the past five years, figures reveal today.
Analysis from Scottish Labour shows the number of unfilled posts nationwide has soared from 661.9 to 2525.5 since 2011 – an increase of 281 per cent.
Meanwhile, the number of long-term vacancies – posts going unfilled for more than three months – has increased from 181.2 to 736.6.
This is more than a 300 per cent increase since 2011, when the SNP formed a majority government.
Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar said the party will establish a workforce commission, which will look at nurse and midwifery retention and attracting more people into nursing jobs.
He added: “After a decade of division, the SNP have delivered a staffing crisis in our NHS.
“The number of unfilled posts for nurses and midwives has rocketed. SNP ministers are in complete denial about the fact our health service does not have the staff they need to deliver the care patients deserve.
“Rather than looking to rerun a referendum campaign that Scots don’t want, the SNP should be focused on running our NHS.
“This is the result of 10 years of SNP mismanagement of our health service.”
Labour have repeatedly attacked the SNP’s record on the NHS, accusing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of neglecting the service in pursuit of independence. But Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “There are more qualified nurses and midwives working in Scotland’s health service than ever before.
“Under this Government, numbers have increased by 6.8 per cent to more than 43,800. An organisation of this size will always carry some vacancies, and any fluctuation in nursing staff levels is due to our efforts to expand capacity by recruiting more staff. In January, we announced a 4.7 per cent increase in intakes to pre-registration nursing and midwifery training programmes for 2017/18.
“This spring we will publish a National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan.
“This will set out the workforce we will need in the future, and how we will achieve it.” Visit one of our stores nationwide Salou BEST HOTEL SAN DIEGO Half Board • 3 Nights • Jun - Sep 2017 Flying from Glasgow Prestwick WAS from NOW from Costa Daurada Twin Centre CALIFORNIA GARDEN Full Board • 5 Nights HOTEL CARIBE Half Board • 4 Nights Flying from Glasgow • May - Oct 2017 WAS from
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