Job vacancies in Scots NHS could fill two hospitals
DOCTORS’ leaders last night raised fresh fears of an NHS staffing crisis as they disclosed that there are enough vacancies in Scotland to fill two hospitals.
Health bosses admitted they are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit doctors and nurses, with NHS figures showing vacancy rates for consultants at almost 7 per cent.
But the British Medical Association Scotland has disclosed that the true number of consultant vacancies is double the official count.
The number of doctors in training in Scotland has also sunk to a five-year low and vacancies for qualified nurses have risen to more than 2,400. Dr Simon Barker, chairman of BMA Scotland’s consultant committee, said: ‘This analysis shows that by not including certain categories of vacancy, the official statistics simply don’t provide the full picture.
‘Collectively, that means there are potentially around 375 vacancies on top of those counted by official figures – the equivalent of a large hospital empty of its senior doctors.
‘That simply isn’t good enough – for patients or doctors.’
He added: ‘Under these conditions we risk burnout and stretching people beyond their limits. We need urgent action.’
The latest NHS workforce figures issued yesterday show vacancy rates for consultants at an already high 6.8 per cent.
But data obtained by BMA Scotland suggests the actual vacancy rate is likely to be 13.9 per cent.
The difference is the equivalent of around 375 full-time vacancies which are not being recorded by data – with the latest figures from the NHS Information Services Division showing 393 additional official vacancies.
Together the numbers would be sufficient to staff two large NHS hospitals.
The official figures do not give the true picture because they do not include posts covered by locums or posts that have been temporarily removed or not yet cleared for a job advert.
NHS Scotland staffing numbers have increased slightly in a year but nursing vacancies have risen to 2,401, compared to 2,144 this time last year.
Royal College of Nursing associate director Norman Provan said: ‘Demand for health and care services is rocketing and the number of staff is just not keeping pace with the number of patients they’re expected to care for.’
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘These figures are going in the wrong direction at the worst possible time. That’s yet more irreofficial sponsible government, and more evidence of the Nationalists’ chaotic workforce planning.’
Meanwhile, a rising number of hospital beds are being blocked by delayed discharges. The number of patients delayed from leaving hospital was 1,529 people in a single day in September.
A total of 45,470 days were spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed in September – the highest since October 2016.
And Scottish hospitals struggling with capacity cancelled 522 operations in October, an increase from 429 the previous month.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: ‘Under this government the number of qualified whole time equivalent nurses and midwives has increased by 5.5 per cent and consultants have risen by 50.8 per cent.’
She added: ‘Cancelled operations for capacity reasons represent 1.7 per cent, of the number of procedures boards plan.’