Extra nurse training places

About 2,600 training places for nurses and midwives will be created in the next four years, the Scottish Government has announced.

Ministers had already pledged 1,000 extra places during this parliament, with a further 1,600 now added.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said increasing staff numbers was needed to meet increased demand.

Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats said the issue of nurses’ pay needed to be addressed to recruit and retain more staff.

The Scottish Government’s national health

“It’s clear that demand will continue to increase”

and social care workforce plan also includes “return to practice” programmes aimed at attracting and retaining nursing staff, particularly in rural areas such as the north of Scotland, and up to 100 extra medical student places from next September.

Ms Robison said: “The NHS workforce is at record levels in Scotland but it’s clear that demand is going to continue to rise in the years ahead. Increasing staff numbers is part of the solution.

“Nursing and midwifery is by far the largest staff group in the NHS.”