Posted 05 June 2018 - 16:14
Posted 05 June 2018 - 16:14
News
Employers in Scotland struggle to reduce NHS nurse vacancies
Sharp rise in long-term vacancies as overall level of unfilled nursing posts remains static
Sharp rise in long-term vacancies as overall level of unfilled nursing posts remains static
More than 2,800 nursing and midwifery jobs are vacant in Scotland's NHS.
A total of 852.5 of the 2,812.7 whole-time-equivalent posts in the country were vacant for three months or more by the end of March 2018, up 27.1% on the previous financial year.
Data published by the Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland shows the 4.5% vacancy rate remains unchanged since 2017.
RCN Scotland said the figures show a need to improve nurse staffing levels across the country.
ISD obtains the quarterly data direct from the payroll and human resource systems of Scotland’s 14 regional health boards and seven special health boards.
It also shows NHS Scotland spent £23.6 million on nursing and midwifery agency staff during the past financial year (March 2017 to March 2018). While this represents a decrease of 3.6% in comparison to 2016-2017, the total spend on bank staff in the same period increased by 7.1% to £152.1 million.
Sickness absence up year on year
Sickness absence rate in Scotland in 2017-2018 was 5.39%, up from 5.2% in the previous year, marking the fourth consecutive annual increase.
NHS Scotland's national target of bringing sickness absence down to 4% was set in 2009, but has not yet been achieved.
RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said: ‘The statistics paint a clear picture that nursing workforce challenges have never been greater and nurse staffing for safe and effective care must be a priority.
‘The bottom line is that Scotland does not have the nursing staff it needs to care for everyone’
Theresa Fyffe
‘Nurses and healthcare support workers on the front line tell us there aren't enough nurses to do the job properly. In spite of more nursing staff being in post, the vacancy rate remains unchanged and number of long-term vacancy is up significantly from last year.
‘The bottom line is that Scotland does not have the nursing staff it needs to care for everyone, in a safe and effective way.’
Ms Fyffe has urged the Scottish government to support the recently published Health and Care Staffing (Scotland) Bill, adding: ‘The is an opportunity for change and it must be seized upon. It’s time to get nursing staffing right.’
Ensuring the right staff and the right skills
Scottish health secretary Shona Robison said: ‘We’re legislating to ensure we have the right staff with the right skills in the right place.
‘We are continuing to drive down the use of agencies and reducing vacancy rates will be supported further by our new safe staffing legislation as we work with boards to support their efforts in staff recruitment.’
NHS Improvement figures published last week for nursing vacancies in England, show 35,794 nurses vacancies in England and a vacancy rate of 10.2%.
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