I have written to the Chief Executive of NHS Fife asking what action is being taken to address staffing shortages following official statistics showing a significant rise in NHS Fife Nursing and Midwifery vacancies.
Across NHS Fife, 342 nursing and midwifery posts are vacant, which is 8% of posts and a record high.
These figures are deeply concerning and quite clearly highlight the continuing staffing crisis in our NHS.
NHS nursing staff have never been under such intense pressure and the additional vacancies are driving existing staff to consider leaving the profession.
The Scottish Government should listen to the calls from the Royal College of Nursing and act now by bringing in a fair pay rise for nursing staff, develop proper workforce planning and fully implement safe staffing legislation. It is crucial that NHS Fife demonstrate what actions they are taking to recruit the staff we need but also to support the existing staff deal with the pressures when they are so understaffed.
Our nurses, and indeed all NHS staff have been working flat out throughout the pandemic and deserve all of our respect. This is why it is so vital we make sure action is taken to address existing staff burnout and recruit more people into the profession.
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Statistics taken from NHS Education for Scotland Official Workforce Statistics published 7th December 2021 and can be found here.
