Staff Wellbeing Must Be a Priority for the Next Scottish Government RCN Says

Nursing absence rates in Scotland’s NHS are hitting critical levels and current workforce planning provisions are increasingly inadequate to deal with the gaps in the workforce.

According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland to health boards, rates in many boards are significantly and recurrently above the planned for sickness absence rate of 4% which is included in the predicted absence calculations for staffing plans.

The absence rate average for nursing staff across the NHS boards in 2024-25 was 7.5% and reached 8.3% for April to December 2025. That’s more than double the rate included in the predicted absence rate for workforce planning. Three NHS boards reported nursing absence rates over 10%.

Between 2022 and 2026 only one health board had a sickness absence rate below 4%.
Staff sickness due to stress, anxiety and depression continue to be the most frequently recorded reason for working time lost among NHS nursing staff.

These findings further emphasise the need to update the predicated absence allowance which is used as part of the process to calculate how many nursing staff are needed to staff wards and services to meet demand – known as nursing establishments.

Current calculations are based on having 22.5% of staff absent at any one time, this includes 4% for sickness absence and other planned absences such as annual leave and maternity leave. To have enough staff to ensure safe care, the predicted absence allowance must be increased. The Royal College of Nursing is calling for a minimum of 27% absence to be included in the calculations to reflect the realities of working in today’s NHS. Anything less is leaving nursing teams critically understaffed on a daily basis.

Commenting on the figures, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Executive Director, said:
“Nursing staff are being ground down by a vicious cycle of increasing workload pressures and more and more gaps in the workforce. Not getting breaks, excessive workloads and high vacancy rates are major factors in absence rates amongst nursing staff. Increasing sickness absence rates compound the negative effects of a stubborn vacancy rate.

“With sickness absence rates increasing apparently unchecked, nursing staff are trapped in this cycle. The more often they work on a day with colleagues missing from the shift, the greater the danger of burnout. The NMC has reported that 27% of nurses working in Scotland are at high risk of burnout, and 29.8% are struggling to cope with workload.

“Gaps in the workforce and the adverse effect on staff wellbeing also undermines safe and effective care. Safe nurse staffing saves lives, protects exhausted staff and strengthens health and care services. Safe staffing is also vital for improving retention of experienced nurses and attracting new individuals into the profession. Both are key for securing a sustainable nursing workforce able to meet the increasing needs of Scotland’s ageing population.

“That’s why in this election we’re calling for the next Scottish government to invest in and value nursing. The costs of not investing in nursing are significant both in terms of the long-term impact on service delivery, and the very real risk of harm to patients and residents being cared for today, as well as to nursing staff. We’re calling for nursing to be recognised as an asset, rather than viewed as a cost. It’s time to value nursing properly, because Scotland’s health depends on it.”