PARLIAMENTARY: Remote and Rural Healthcare Inquiry

RCN Scotland provided evidence to the Committee’s inquiry, including the issues that need to be addressed in the Scottish Government’s forthcoming remote and rural workforce strategy.

While severe nursing shortages and high vacancy rates are a challenge across Scotland, these can have a serious impact on access to healthcare and social care in remote and rural areas, where even a small number of vacancies or staff absences can cause huge challenges in terms of running services safely.

Recruitment and retention challenges across community nursing, general practice and in social care are having a real impact in remote and rural communities.

The reasons for such recruitment and retention issues are varied and complex. For some it may be related to unattractive pay and conditions or, if staff don't live within the community, meeting the costs of travel to and from work could make it an unattractive job choice. For others it can be the perception that a role in a remote and rural setting will present difficulties in keeping skills up to date, developing new skills and facilitating career progression.