Audit Scotland continues to call for clear strategies and plans for NHS reform

Responding to the report, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director called it "another damning report from Audit Scotland – the second in the space of 10 months – about the Scottish government’s stewardship of the NHS".

Colin continued:

“Like us - we have consistently called for a retention strategy for nursing staff - Audit Scotland continues to call for clear strategies and plans for NHS reform and how the Scottish government plans to address the extreme pressures on staff and services.

“Audit Scotland highlights missed commitments to reduce waiting lists and times, increases in delayed discharges and the lack of impact to date of initiatives to improve productivity and patient outcomes.

“The Auditor General rightly lauds staff for their contribution. The report states that the workforce is the NHS’s ‘most important asset’ and that in the face of severe and increasing pressures ‘a committed workforce has continued to work to deliver high-quality care’.

“But the Auditor General’s report also echoes our concerns about the workforce crisis. The report states: ‘The demands of a growing and ageing population on top of these pressures, as well as the ongoing backlog created by the pandemic, mean the current healthcare delivery model is not sustainable.’

“Without a sustainable, long-term solution to what is now a chronic shortage of nursing staff the Scottish government will struggle to achieve the reform required.

“Last week, we called on the Scottish government to set out in this week’s budget investment to grow and develop Scotland’s nursing workforce for the future. Audit Scotland’s report heightens the pressure on the Scottish government to take urgent action.

“Funding our health and social care services is a political decision. Yes, budgets are tight but the costs of not investing in nursing are significant both in terms of the long-term impact on service delivery, and the very real risk of harm to patients and residents being cared for today. Safe nurse staffing levels should be non-negotiable.

“The Scottish government still has much to do to if it is to solve the nursing workforce crisis, reduce health inequalities and attract the workforce needed to provide the people of Scotland with the quality of care they should expect.”