PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING: COVID Strategic Framework Update

The Scottish government’s COVID Strategic Framework Update seeks to outline how Scotland can move towards living with COVID , while also remobilising services. In our briefing to MSPs we highlight that neither of these aims will be possible without solutions for the current workforce crisis in our NHS and social care.

Staff absences due to COVID are rising again, we are hearing concerning reports of increased sickness absences to the pressures of the past two years and services are also struggling with record levels of nursing vacancies. The workforce crisis not only hinders Scotland’s ability to move towards a period of being able to manage COVID-19, it means we continue to be at high risk of new variants or future pandemics requiring restrictions having to be reimposed in order to protect services

The RCN is calling for:

• Support for the health and wellbeing of nursing staff
• Enhanced PPE and continued access to COVID testing
• Action to address staff absences and record vacancies including implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act
• Support for staff off work with COVID