Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
WORK ABSENCES Stressed-out NHS staff ‘deserve better’
MSP’s shock at stats
Richard Leonard has hit out at the Scottish Government after statistics revealed the number of NHS Lanarkshire staff taking time off work because of stress has soared by more than 15 per cent in the past three years.
As a result, the equivalent of more than 162,000 work days have been lost during that time period which, according to Mr Leonard, heaps “further pressure on underresourced hospitals and health services”.
The Scottish Labour leader said: “The rise in absences due to stress is a source of great concern. Clearly more and more work is being expected of NHS staff because they are not being given the support and resources they need.
“NHS staff are amongst the most hard- working and dedicated in society; but many are being pushed to the limit, often delivering high levels of care to the detriment of their own health and wellbeing.
“The SNP government has created a staffing crisis in our health service, with more than 3000 nursing and midwifery posts lying unfilled; a crisis worsened by Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to cut the number of training posts whilst she was health secretary.”
The Central Scotland MSP added: “Staff in our National Health Service have told us repeatedly they need additional resources to meet society’s needs.
“Scottish Labour’s workforce commission will consider current and future needs with a focus on making the NHS fit for the future.
“The SNP has created stress and anxiety for patients and staff, but it was Labour who created the NHS and we will not accept this complacency from a tired and timid government.
“Hard-working and dedicated hospital staff, and those that use our NHS, deserve better than this.”