NHS staffing levels are dangerously low - BMA Scotland
- Published
Of the 610 respondents to a BMA survey only 1% said they felt their department was staffed beyond safe levels
Scotland's doctors' union has warned that staffing levels are "dangerously low" across the NHS.
BMA Scotland said it is deeply concerned about the impact short staffing will have on the level of care provided for patients.
It said the government must urgently publish a workforce plan to address the high level of medical vacancies.
The Scottish government said NHS staffing in Scotland is at record levels thanks to its investment.
NHS data shows that about 7% of consultant posts in Scotland are unfilled - but the BMA says that figure does not include permanent posts that are vacant but which are being temporarily filled by locums.
The union also says the 7% figure does not count vacant posts that have not yet been advertised, or posts that have been vacant for so long that they are no longer being advertised.
It accuses the government of taking its eye off the ball and not making long term plans to address staff shortages while demand continues to grow.
The government is funding extra training places for doctors in specialisms such as emergency medicine or general practice next year, however the BMA says levels of recruitment and retainment are not where they need to be to ensure the NHS survives for the next 25 years.
BMA Scotland chairman Dr Iain Kennedy said: "Now is not the time for platitudes or to tell us that we are at a record high in terms of doctors.
"Because it simply will not wash with the profession who are stretching themselves to breaking point, risking harm to themselves, in a bid to provide the level of care the people of Scotland need and deserve."
Recruitment and retention
Dr Kennedy said Scotland was in "a medical workforce crisis", and needed more doctors and other healthcare workers to keep up with the demands of an ageing, frailer, and growing population.
"Both medical and wider staffing in Scotland's NHS are at dangerously low levels," he added.
He said that 80% of the 610 BMA members who responded said their experience within their teams was that medical and support staffing was regularly or sometimes unsafe.
The survey also reported that 62% are worried there will not be enough doctors to meet patient demand this winter.
And that 72% said they feel medical staffing has worsened compared to the previous two years, while 83% do not believe there is a proper plan in place to improve recruitment and retention.
Dr Kennedy said the Scottish government must publish its medical workforce projection strategy, which has been delayed for almost a year.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of BMA Scotland, called on the Scottish Government to publish medical workforce projections
Dr Kennedy urged ministers to "wake up" to the crisis during his annual festive message for doctors across Scotland.
"It is only by solving the medical workforce crisis that you can even think about making progress in other areas, like cutting waiting lists. It is non-negotiable."
A Scottish government spokesperson said: "NHS Scotland staffing is at record levels, bolstered by our investment since autumn 2021 of some £18m to recruit 1,250 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals from overseas by the end of this financial year."
They added that the recent Scottish Budget increases health spending by more than £500m.
They said the Scottish government is committed to expanding medical training in Scotland, having increased medical school places by 67% since 2016 to a record high of 1,417 for 23/24 and is creating 153 new trainee doctor posts.
The spokesperson also said the Scottish government has expanded the multi-disciplinary primary care workforce, with 4,731 staff, supported by a £190 million investment in 2023-24.
"We are incredibly thankful to the NHS workforce for the vital service they provide and we know they face continued pressure," they said.
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