One week on from our latest blog post detailing the Scottish National Party’s farcical handling of police officer numbers in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has – again – ignored the issues of the present and instead focused on the divisions of the past by launching yet another independence referendum campaign. Fourteen years of this nationalist government’s obsession with independence is proving increasingly damaging for all areas of Scotland’s vital public services, as the country faces yet another staffing crisis, this time in our National Health Service.
As things currently stand the latest statistics on the nursing workforce show that a record high of 9.5 percent of registered nursing posts in Scotland were vacant as of 31 March 2022 which is roughly equal to over 4,600 unfilled registered nursing posts. This number at the end of 2021 stood at around 4,500 unfilled registered nursing posts which highlights that this is a growing problem. This problem is not exclusively tied to nursing however, as figures show that vacancies for physiotherapists, radiographers and occupational therapists have also reached a record high; while unfilled consultant positions have risen almost 40%. As a result of this, the Royal College of Nursing has called on the Scottish Government to take “urgent action” to reverse this growing problem of vacancies which are presenting a “serious threat” to patient care.
Sandesh Gulhane, Scottish Conservative MSP for the Glasgow Region and Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary outlined the government’s failings in the Scottish Parliament:
“The recent workforce plan was insufficient and lacked ambition… The number of unfulfilled registered nursing posts in NHS Scotland continues to grow, which increases pressure on already overworked and exhausted nursing staff… To address long-term recruitment issues, we need to take a comprehensive approach to workforce planning for the whole of NHS Scotland—in every profession and at every level. Furthermore, we would remove the cap on the number of funded places for front-line medical students in order to increase the number of home-domiciled students, because we know that they are more likely to continue working in NHS Scotland. Successive SNP health secretaries have simply failed to adequately address workforce planning in our NHS, and the devastating results are clear for us all to see.”
Meanwhile, the SNP’s Health and Social Care Secretary, Humza Yousaf remains in denial about the Scottish Government’s failures in ensuring our NHS is sufficiently staffed, arguing in the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee that the Scottish Government have “a really good record” on NHS staffing, and merely blamed the pandemic. This lack of responsibility and ownership from the Scottish Government is disappointing, yet not surprising considering their previous track record on recognising past failings.
It is clear that after 14 years in office, the SNP cannot be bothered with dealing with the day-to-day duties of governing Scotland, and would rather focus their energy on a second divisive independence referendum. In doing so, they are leaving behind the staff working tirelessly in our valued public services from the police to the National Health Service. Nicola Sturgeon is asking Scotland “why not” pursue independence – this is why not.