Scottish Labour is calling for SNP ministers to alleviate the NHS workforce “crisis” – amid fears a lack of staff could derail the Scottish Government’s crucial recovery plan.
An internal document on the expansion of the national treatment centre at the Golden Jubilee has exposed a “very high” risk of poor staff retention and recruitment undermining the project.
The document, obtained through Freedom of Information, warned that a failure to “recruit, train and retain the required staff within the appropriate timelines” would compromise the ability to deliver the extra capacity promised.
The expansion of the Golden Jubilee and the establishment of other new national treatment centres were at the heart of then-health secretary Humza Yousaf’s NHS recovery plan.
Read more: Yousaf warned NHS waiting times causing 'system-wide cycle of despair'
Scottish Labour has now warned that staffing shortages are set to “blow a hole” in the SNP’s recovery strategy and has claimed that this will undermine efforts to drive down record waiting lists, which are currently leaving patients languishing in pain for years on end.
This intervention follows a series of warnings from NHS professional bodies such as the Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association (BMA) that dealing with staffing shortages is essential to driving down waiting lists.
As it stands, there are currently more than 7,000 vacancies across NHS Scotland, piling pressure on existing services and threatening to undermine new projects.
Scottish Labour deputy leader and health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, said: “The workforce crisis in our NHS is threatening to blow a hole in the SNP’s recovery plan.
“Record NHS waiting lists are leaving patients suffering for years on end, but there is no hope of fixing this crisis without supporting the workforce.
“Staffing shortages are piling pressure on services and NHS workers are exhausted and demoralised after being bounced from one crisis to another.
“The SNP must take urgent action to retain experienced and hardworking NHS staff, improving conditions and offering a working time review to staff considering retirement. We also need a real workforce plan for the future, designed in collaboration with staff and key stakeholders.
Read more: NHS workforce statistics reveal 'worrying' vacancies
“Failure to do so will lead to more people languishing on waiting lists.”
Speaking at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Mr Yousaf admitted “there is undoubtedly more to do” to alleviate waiting lists.
He added: “In each of the next three years, we will provide an extra £100 million to accelerate treatment for patients and reduce in-patient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients.
“We will continue our record investment in the NHS, to ensure that our staff numbers are at historically high and record levels, and to make sure that our NHS staff remain the best paid anywhere in the UK.”
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