1 in 5 rural nurses nearing retirement

ONE in five nurses in rural Scotland is due to retire in the next decade, an academic study has found.

A staffing time bomb is set to hit the most remote and far-flung parts of Scotland, where populations are typically older and the NHS is a vital lifeline.

A preliminary study conducted by Edinburgh Napier University has found an alarming 20 per cent of nurses in the Highlands and Islands are aged 55 and over, compared to just 15 per cent across the rest of Scotland.

The results are based on a decadelong study taken from Scotland’s census. It looked at around 300 hospital, care home and community nurses in remote and rural parts of Scotland. It found these nurses are far more likely to be older and to work part-time.

The nurses examined for the research were not just permanent NHS staff but included bank and agency staff, as well as those working in private care homes.

Lead author Dr Iain Atherton, presenting the findings yesterday at the Rethinking Remote conference in Inverness, said: ‘There does seem to be a marked shift towards an older workforce. That raises all kinds of questions as to how we can ensure the sustainability of the nursing workforce.’

A spokesman for NHS Highland said: ‘NHS Highland keeps the age profile of its workforce under review and recognises the specific challenges faced in relation to the number of nurses and midwives who will retire over the next five to ten years.

‘We plan with the Scottish Government to ensure that we recruit the right number of undergraduate student nurses for the future.’