Greens: Staff key to NHS recovery
Audit Scotland’s new assessment of the NHS in Scotland shows the need for staff retention and recruitment to be prioritised, the Scottish Greens have said.
The Spending watchdog’s latest report shows a health service still on an emergency footing from COVID, which remains under severe pressure.
Commenting, Scottish Greens health spokesperson Gillian Mackay said: “Our NHS is under more pressure than ever before as staff deal with the effects of the pandemic while continuing to deliver routine healthcare, and this report clearly sets out that the Scottish Government must improve recruitment and retention to maintain safe levels of care. It’s vital that workforce planning reflects the new reality, to make sure services have the staff they need to care for generations to come.
“Existing staff must also be properly supported. They have been working in extremely difficult conditions for two years now and many are feeling exhausted and burnt out. The government must focus on promoting workforce wellbeing so that we do not haemorrhage staff as we begin to recover from COVID-19.”