The Act places a legal duty on NHS and care providers to make sure there are always suitably qualified staff working in the right numbers for safe and effective care. It also imposed a duty on the Scottish government to ensure there are enough registered nurses, midwives and medical professionals available to enable employers to meet their duty to ensure safe staffing.

Later this year, every health board will produce its first annual report to Scottish government to evidence how it is meeting the duties placed upon them. These reports will form the basis of the evidence the Scottish government will present to Parliament as an indication of how well the Act is working.

With the number of nursing students coming into the profession stagnating, and workforce numbers not rising quickly enough, the RCN has been clear that action is needed now.

Fundamental to the success of the Act are the workload and workforce planning tools to establish what safe staffing levels should be. In recent evidence to Parliament, we raised concerns about the reliability and validity of the current tools.  We believe that the flaws in the tools have led to an underestimation of the number of nurses required to ensure delivery of safe and effective care. Our work to influence the review of the tools continues.

The Act also extends beyond the NHS and into social care, where we know the nursing workforce in care homes is dwindling. We are continuing to press for a tool which establishes the safe staffing levels the sector needs.

However, action to grow and develop the nursing workforce is progressing. In February, the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce published its report Delivering Together for a Stronger Nursing and Midwifery Workforce and recommendations. This report is the culmination of two years of collaborative working and we now have a clear set of recommendations that must be implemented to deliver positive change and meet the government’s own aspiration of making Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to work.  As part of the implementation group, we’re putting pressure on Scottish government to deliver on its promise to nursing and to fully fund plans as they are developed.

Also, in response to lobbying from the RCN, the Scottish government has begun a review of the current financial support package for nursing students, holding engagement sessions with students to understand the true costs of becoming a registered nurse. We’re clear that improving this support will be essential to attracting more people into the profession.

One year on from the Act coming into force, and with the work of the Taskforce and workforce tools moving in a positive direction, the Scottish government is at a critical juncture. There is still a long way to go to deliver the safe staffing levels required to meet Scotland’s increasing health needs. We will continue to fight until health and care is delivered in a manner that is safe for patients and safe for the staff delivering it.

• Find out more about our work on our Staffing for Safe and Effective Care page