Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 November 2021
For me and most of my constituents, this is a simple issue. It is about doing what is right to help an NHS that is struggling to keep its head above water and it is about making sure that we have well-trained and well-looked-after staff who are supported to give the best care in the world. I do not want this to become a party-political issue—I do not think that the issue would benefit from that—but the Scottish Government must step up.
I worry that, going into winter, we will see a repeat of the capacity crisis that we have seen year after year in Scotland and elsewhere. That is undoubtedly exacerbated by the Scottish Government’s failure to properly engage in serious workforce planning. That is not a new problem, nor is it, as some spin would have us believe, a problem that is caused solely by Covid. Warnings were in place long ago, and many of my colleagues who sat in the previous session of Parliament will make the same points that I will make today.
As Jackie Baillie indicated, Labour members will support the motion on removing the cap. We must remove that cap on funded places for front-line medical students, but we cannot do so without additional investment for our first-rate medical schools and the capacity to deliver foundation places to all graduates on the completion of their degrees. That is basic common sense, and I believe that it is achievable with the correct political will.
The problem is generally applicable across the medical fields, as Jackie Baillie indicated. I have repeatedly raised issues in the Parliament around the need to increase the number of trained pharmacists in Scotland. Without moving away from the purpose of this debate, I want to make that point again. There is a staff shortage emergency in the NHS in Scotland, and we have to be honest about that.
Beyond the vital need to get more high-quality front-line staff into our NHS, we need to take care to look after those who are already putting in incredible shifts day after day. Margo Cranmer, the chair of Unison’s nursing sector committee, has described Scotland’s nursing team as “stressed and exhausted”—that has already been mentioned, but I thought that it was worth stating that again. She went on to say:
“Substantial investment in extra staff and changes to their working lives are essential.”
Staff retention is nowhere near where we need it to be, and I view maintaining a satisfied workforce as a top priority for any service that wants to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. I do not think that, in all honesty, we can say that that is where we are in Scotland at the moment.
We have all spoken to constituents and representatives of medical NHS staff who have no end of stories about the strain and pressure that they are under. I want to give them something to hold on to, not just a few headlines or motions of thanks. Therefore, as well as lifting the cap, let us get a long-term pay deal that seriously reflects what health groups and trade unions are asking for, and offer a working-time review to every staff member considering retirement, which will give us the opportunity to offer more flexible working arrangements and retain staff for longer. Staff are fed up with being a secondary consideration.
At the heart of all this is low pay, which is a mistake that the Government makes again and again. We are supposed to be designing a transformational national care service, but the Government has still not committed to a wage of £15 an hour for social care workers. The NHS recovery plan that was presented to Parliament a few weeks ago was equally full—