Holyrood committee writes to Shona Robison about NHS vacancies
Health Secretary Shona Robison has been quizzed on rising vacancies and barriers to recruitment in the NHS.
Health Secretary Shona Robison has been quizzed on rising vacancies and barriers to recruitment in the NHS.
Latest official figures show nursing and midwifery jobs lying empty for three months or more jumped by almost two-thirds in the last year to more than 800.
The number of NHS workers is growing but the number of vacancies is also rising, by 9.3% for nurses and midwives between September 2015 and September 2016, leaving 2,634.5 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts unfilled.
The number of these posts lying vacant for three months or more increased by 64.8% from 500 to 823.8.
Holyrood's Health and Sport Committee held an inquiry into the high vacancy rates for consultants, nursing staff and allied health professionals such as radiographers, pharmacists and social care staff.
The committee has now has written to Ms Robison asking for details on how the Scottish Government plans to fill these vacancies and prevent them affecting patients.
The letter states one of the main barriers'' to recruiting and retaining NHS staff is thelack of supply'' of new graduates and recruits, and asks if the current intake figures for government-controlled subjects - medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery - is adequate'', and if it would help if the government took control over intake figures for more health jobs.
Ms Robison is also asked to outline how Brexit is being factored into health and social care workforce planning, including if all EU nationals were repatriated, as the committee heard this would have a devastating'' impact on the sector.
Committee convener Labour's Neil Findlay said: It is concerning to this committee that 11 years since the previous Health Committee raised concerns about workforce planning there appears to have been little improvement.
Ensuring we have the right number of doctors, nurses and carers and other health professionals to look after the population is not an exact science. However, we would have expected some positive progress.
Much attention has been given to concern around GP recruitment, however we heard of high vacancy rates for various health professionals.
We are asking the Scottish Government what immediate steps it is taking to prevent this impacting on patient care.
Whilst the implications of Brexit are largely unknown, it is clear steps need to be taken now given that the figures suggest that EU nationals are fundamental to the successful running of our NHS and social care.''
Ms Robison said earlier this week that NHS staffing levels are at a record high'' and the Scottish Government iscommitted'' to preparing the NHS workforce for the future.
She said it has increased student nursing and midwifery intakes in the past four years and a new workforce planning discussion document would be published later this month.