NHS Staff Shortage

Scottish Labour concerned over new figures

There is a staff shortage in the NHS according to recent figures.

New analysis by the Scottish Labour party have found 2 in every 5 consultant vacancies take over 6 months to fill. 

That's including posts in emergency medicine, radiology, general medicine, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, psychiatric specialties, general psychiatry, child & adolescent psychiatry, surgical specialties, general surgery, and paediatrics.

It also shows that the number of empty positions has quadrupled since 2011.

Scottish Labour Public Services Spokesperson Jackie Baillie said:
 
"Our NHS is Scotland’s most valued public service. Now more than ever we need a health service free at the point of need to deliver the care Scots deserve regardless of how much money they earn.
 
Under the SNP Government in Edinburgh our NHS has suffered from a cut to the health budget and huge shortages of staff.
 
This research shows that this problem is not confined to one part of our health service; there are long term unfilled posts for emergency medicine, general medicine, psychiatry and paediatrics. This is a problem infecting every part of our NHS workforce.
 
Posts going unfilled for more than six months suggests a real problem in work force planning, and means our health service has to turn to more expensive private alternatives like locum doctors.
 
The SNP want to be judged on their record of running our NHS. Since they formed a majority government the SNP’s management of our NHS has seen staff undervalued, under resourced and under intolerable pressure. The SNP’s record is not one of which they can be proud of."