Nursing Workforce in Scotland - review of progress November 2024

'Little sign improvement' is the verdict in our review of progress on the 10 recommendations made in May’s Nursing Workforce in Scotland report.

The staffing crisis in health and social care continues and the impact on the safety and quality of patient care is being felt across the country. Overcrowding and care in inappropriate places, as a direct result of the lack of capacity within community health and social care services, are being normalised in hospitals across Scotland. NHS Scotland requires more than 3,000 nursing staff than it currently has and social care providers continue to struggle to find nursing staff. This workforce has been through the pandemic and years of staff shortages and are left feel overworked and undervalued. 

The Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce is a significant opportunity to tackle some of the issues which are making it difficult to attract and retain the nursing workforce that we need. There is increasing public debate about the sustainability of the NHS and social care services. The workforce requirements must be central to this debate and as the largest professional group, the voice of nursing must be heard.