NHS ‘faces perfect storm’ over staffing
Nursing chief warns about risks to patient care
THE NHS faces a ‘perfect storm’ over staff shortages putting patients’ care at risk, the leader of Scotland’s nurses has warned.
A new report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) raises alarm over the number of nurses in the NHS in Scotland and called on the Scottish Government to take action.
The registered nursing and midwifery workforce only rose by 1 per cent between 2009 and 2015, with numbers declining to a low in 2012, before starting to recover.
The non-registered workforce such as health care support workers, followed a similar pattern.
However, demand on NHS services is at an all-time high and is set to continue, with Scotland’s ageing population living longer with chronic diseases.
The latest report from the RCN, Unheeded warnings: health care in crisis, spells out risk factors which could affect future safe staffing levels.
RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said: ‘The last few years have been characterised by a “boom and bust” approach to nursing workforce planning, with many of our health boards cutting the number of nursing staff, simply to balance their books – and then having to try and recruit more staff as demand for services soared.
‘Scotland’s population is getting older and more people are living with complex conditions. Demand for health care is going through the roof. And you only have to look at the latest NHS vacancy rate – which went up from 3.7 per cent to 4.2 per cent in June 2016 – to know that the very modest increase in staff is just not keeping pace with demand, with a number of health boards really struggling to recruit enough nursing staff.’
Student nurse intake numbers fell by a quarter between 2005/6 and 2012/13 – with swingeing cuts of 20 per cent between 2010/11 and 2012/13 – before numbers then beginning to rise again the following year.
The report published today also highlights pressures arising from the age profile of the nursing workforce in Scotland. In 2006, 43 per cent of the nursing and midwifery workforce was aged 45 or over; in 2015, this had risen to 54 per cent.
Although nurses in Scotland have been awarded increases in pay, there has been ‘real-terms fall’ which has damaged the morale of NHS staff, contributing to recruitment and retention problems.
‘All these factors are contributing to a “perfect storm” for our nursing workforce and, as today’s report says, “without sufficient nursing staff and exponentially rising demand, patient care is being put at risk”,’ Mrs Fyffe said.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Donald Cameron said: ‘The NHS in Scotland has never been busier, but it’s being run by an SNP government which constantly lets it down.’
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘Under this Government we have seen the number of staff in our NHS increase by over 11,000 Whole Time Equivalent, including more than 2,100 extra qualified nurses and midwives, a rise of 5.2 per cent, since 2006.’