In the year to March 2021 the Scottish NHS spent £236 million on bank and agency staff to plug gaps in the NHS. This was a 11.3% increase on the year before and a 22.4% rise in agency staff alone.
Nursing staff in Scotland are struggling to cope with staff shortages across the NHS. Vacancies in the Scottish NHS are at an all-time high.
The SNP have allowed the NHS in Scotland to become dangerously understaffed and driven the staff within it to breaking point, with many experienced staff either leaving the service or considering leaving.
The SNP will yet again try to blame Westminster or COVID for this situation but as health is a devolved issue the blame must rest with the Holyrood government.
Years of mismanagement and limits on the numbers of nurses being trained every year have happened under the SNP and must be addressed. The hard-pressed staff deserve a better deal on pay and conditions from the SNP. There also needs to be a removal of the cap on the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained.
