New pay deal: it could make NHS staffing crisis '10 times worse'

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- By (29 articles)

Alex Neil, a former SNP health secretary, has warned the Scottish Government not to impose a pay deal on nurses, as this could lead the NHS to a “10 times worse” staffing crisis. This is because more people will leave, and many will become agency nurses, making the NHS even more reliant on expensive agencies. Moreover, he suggested reaching out to recently retired doctors to ask if they would be willing to return to work part-time to ease pressure on the health service, as the NHS is dealing with a critical staffing situation.

Last month the Health Secretary announced that the pay rise will be 7.5%, despite this being rejected by members of the GMB union, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said that the safety of patients and the well-being of the staff are the top priorities, and they are doing everything possible to avoid strike action while working with boards to ensure detailed contingency plans are put in place. He also added: “We have engaged extensively with trade union representatives over recent weeks, and continue to do so, leaving no stone unturned to reach an offer which responds to the key concerns of staff across the service.

“I welcome that a majority of the unionised NHS AfC staff have accepted the pay offer, and we are implementing the deal without delay, as called for by a number of trade unions such as Unison and Unite so NHS workers can get the rise and backdated pay as soon as possible.”