Nursing shortages hit Scottish NHS
As a nursing shortfall years in the making bites, SNP politicians are blaming the media for the crisis
The Scottish NHS is dealing with a shortage of registered nurses as fears grow of the omicron covid variant. But this is a crisis long in the making, due to years of Scottish Government failure.
According to a report by the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, our NHS has a shortfall of registered nurses of 3,400. This gap represents the gap between the number of registered nurses who should be in post to run services, and how many actually are in post.
And it is important to note that this shortage of nurses is not simply due to covid pressures. While it is true that nursing shortfalls do fluctuate over a year, there is an unambiguous trendline.
Nicola Sturgeon became first minister on 20 November 2014, and before that had served (among other capacities) as the cabinet secretary for health from 2007-2011. So when we see that by June 2015 the shortfall gap of registered nurses stood at 1,613, who should bear the burden of responsibility for that?
Indeed each year since Nicola Sturgeon has been first minister she has presided over a worsening shortage of registered nurses. Every year she has been leading the Scottish Government, the shortage of registered nurses has grown worse:
June 2016: 1,914 shortage
June 2017: 2,375 shortage
June 2018: 2,440 shortage
June 2019: 2,897 shortage
June 2020: no figures published
June 2021: 3,400 shortage
A shortage of registered nurses places additional pressures on Scotland’s health services. It undermines morale and reduces efficiency. But according to one SNP MSP, none of this is really the fault of the SNP or Nicola Sturgeon. It seems Kenneth Gibson SNP MSP thinks NHS staff shortages are the media's fault...
“Frankly I don’t think it helps recruitment when the media continually focus on how exhausted and worn out, you know, NHS staff [are]”
Here was me thinking the responsibility for nursing shortages lay at the door of the political party in charge of Scotland’s healthcare system since 2007. Silly me, I should have known the real villains are all those pesky Scottish journalists who undermine the NHS by having the temerity to report accurately.
So up is now down, truths are now lies and accurate reporting by journalists damage the country.
Never mind that according to the Royal College of Nursing Scotland that
“This shortfall is at a record high and has risen by more than 2,000 since March 2015”
And that
“The news comes as RCN Scotland members are voting on what next steps, they are willing to take, including industrial action, over fair pay. Fair pay for nursing staff is needed to ensure we can recruit new nurses and retain the existing experienced staff needed to run services and help to reduce this shortfall.”
If we’re to listen to the RCN, one of the underlying causes of this growing nursing shortfall has been the absence of fair pay. So not journalists reporting accurate facts at all, but poor pay and conditions resulting in an inability to retain and recruit staff.
Back in May this year, the members of the RCN voted to reject the SNP government’s pay offer. 68.5% of RCN members rejected the Scottish Government’s offer of a single year pay deal. But the SNP ignored the RCN, and has proceeded to impose the pay deal anyway.
Perhaps imposing pay deals regardless of the views of the Royal College of Nursing members views has also “exhausted and worn out you know, NHS staff” Mr Kenneth Gibson? Might this be a bit more of a relevant factor than Scottish journalists accurately reporting on the crisis?
Indeed the crisis facing Scotland’s NHS has grown so bad that the military has had to step in. The Nursing Times reports that
“The military has been called on to plug staffing gaps in Scottish NHS services, as latest data shows nursing vacancies have reached record high levels.”
As nursing and midwifery shortages has continued to grow, the British army has had to step in to rescue NHS services from overstretch and collapse. In NHS Lanarkshire a total of 63 military personnel is being deployed. And in NHS Borders a further 23 military personnel are being deployed to help address staffing shortages.
But the SNP blame journalists who report on the crisis. It’s the fault of the chaps over at The Herald newspaper for low staff morale and nursing shortages, not Nicola Sturgeon or the SNP. If anything, I’m amazed the SNP have not blamed the Tories or brexit for this whole sorry mess.
So a picture has become evident. A years in the making NHS nursing shortage, made worse by pay disputes and low staff morale. Things so bad that when covid hit the military has had to be deployed to rescue NHS services in crisis. But the SNP who are entirely responsible for this mess are blaming journalists. What an incredible state of affairs.
Sources:
The Herald ‘NHS Scotland in 3,400 shortfall of nurses amid pay row’
Royal College of Nursing ‘New analysis by the Royal College of Nursing Scotland shows that the shortfall in Registered Nurses in NHS Scotland has risen to a record high.’
The Herald ‘SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson attacks media for reporting NHS staff are 'exhausted'‘
Royal College of Nursing ‘Nursing staff ‘left with no other choice’ in fight to secure Scotland’s nursing workforce.’
Royal College of Nursing ‘RCN members in Scotland have voted to reject the Scottish government pay offer of a single-year pay deal for 2021-22 for NHS Agenda for Change staff.’
Nursing Times ‘Military deployed to Scottish NHS as nurse shortages hit record levels’