Vacancies for NHS nurses hit a record level
Overworked staff ‘at breaking point’
BY VIVIENNE AITKEN Health Editor THE number of nursing vacancies in Scotland is at a record high.
In December, there were 2396 openings for nurses and midwives – 5.1 per cent of all posts. The figure for the previous December was 4.3 per cent.
Of the 2396 vacancies, 636 had been unfilled for at least three months.
Royal College of Nursing Scotland associate director Eileen McKenna said: “Our hospital and community teams are stretched to breaking point.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “These figures show an abysmal failure of SNP ministers to recruit more nurses and midwives, despite record funding for NHS Scotland.”
Vacancies for dental and medical consultants were running at 7.2 per cent – equivalent to 416 posts.
Simon Barker, chairman of BMA Scotland’s consultant committee, said: “Too many posts are lying empty for far too long and this is impacting on the care we, as doctors, are able to provide.”
The figures also showed nursing and midwifery staff numbers were up by 114 to an all-time high.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This reflects a continuation of seven years of growth in the NHS workforce, with overall NHS staffing levels up by more than 13,600 wholetime equivalent posts under this Government.”
Other figures showed 72.8 per cent of child and adolescent mental health referrals were seen within 18 weeks. The target is 90 per cent.
A total of 2277 adults and 410 children waited, or are still waiting, more than a year to start treatment.