Meeting of the Parliament 02 March 2017
I have said many times—and professional bodies say it too—that it is not enough simply to say that we have record numbers of staff. There are record numbers of people in Scotland who are getting old, and we need sufficient numbers of staff.
This is not just the cry of the Opposition parties. Some of the major professional bodies have voiced real concerns. The British Medical Association Scotland said that staff shortages can lead to a system breakdown and that the NHS is being stretched pretty much to breaking point. The Royal College of Midwives says that, due to higher birth rates and a lack of recruitment, Scotland’s maternity services are beginning to buckle. The Royal College of Radiologists says that Scottish radiology is on the brink of collapse and, crucially, that patient safety is at risk.
We welcome and acknowledge the work that is being carried out by the Scottish patient safety programme to uplift standards and share best practice. We recognise and support our NHS staff as they work to implement the changes required to ensure that all Scotland’s patients receive quality care, but we also believe that in order for the programme’s results to continue to improve and come to fruition, the Government must commit to ensuring that staff vacancies are filled so that expectations can become reality.
I move amendment S5M-04324.1, to insert at end:
“; notes that staffing levels are essential to patient safety; believes that, across a range of clinical specialities and across the country, the NHS is facing severe workforce and staffing issues, and therefore believes that to sustain further progress on patient safety, further action on staffing must be a priority.”
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