RCN Scotland Manifesto Calls On The Next Scottish Government To Value Nursing Properly
More than three quarters (78%) of Scots believe there are not enough nursing staff to provide safe and effective care in Scotland’s health and care services, according to a new poll.
In a survey for the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, 77% agreed that the public values nursing staff for the work they do, but only 22% believe that the government recognises the value and contribution of nursing staff.
Meanwhile, when it comes to staffing levels, 84% of respondents believe that nursing staff do not get to spend long enough with the patients they have and 86% said there should be mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for all health and care settings.
The findings support the calls in the RCN Scotland manifesto which was launched today (Thursday 12 February) ahead of May’s Scottish Parliament election.
The manifesto presents nursing as the solution to many of the challenges facing the health and care system and sets out actions needed to tackle the issues facing the profession. It calls on all Scotland’s political parties to commit to valuing nursing properly by recognising it as an investment not a cost.
As MSPs debate the Scottish government’s budget, the College is clear investment in nursing is essential. Delayed discharges and the provision of care in inappropriate places in Scotland’s hospitals will not be solved without increasing capacity in community and care home settings. However, last week’s analysis from the Institute of Fiscal Studies that transfers of funding to social care will result in a reduction in funding for hospitals and general practice is deeply concerning.
Given the pressure hospitals are under, funding cannot simply be moved from hospitals to community services in the short term. For meaningful progress, capacity needs to be increased in the right places, and this will require additional funding.
Launching the manifesto, Colin Poolman, Executive Director, Royal College of Nursing Scotland, said:
“The next Scottish Government must value the nursing workforce, ensure staffing for safe and effective care, invest in community services to deliver care closer to the individual, and support better health for everyone.
“Scotland’s communities rely on nursing; it is the biggest health and care workforce in the country. But our health and care services have depended too heavily, and for too long, on the goodwill of nursing staff, without the recognition, support and investment they deserve.
“It is clear that the public agrees that more needs to be done to value the nursing profession, and our members tell us it is becoming increasingly difficult to deliver safe, dignified care to the standard they would like.
“Scotland cannot build the sustainable nursing workforce it urgently needs by asking staff to continue to work under relentless pressure while feeling demoralised and undervalued.
“Our manifesto is calling for bold action, not just more promises. By saying The Gloves are Off, nursing staff are not walking away – they are signalling their intent to stand up, to be heard and to be counted as an asset for the future of our health and care services.”
