Question reference: S6W-18037
- Date lodged: 17 May 2023
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 May 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) report, The Nursing Workforce in Scotland, how it will reverse the 20.6% reduction of learning disability nursing support workers in NHS Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the publication and recommendations of The Nursing Workforce in Scotland report by RCN Scotland.
NHS Boards are responsible for ensuring they have local policies in place to recruit effectively and retain their staff. They are supported in this through the Scottish Government’s National Workforce Strategy, which sets out the actions it will take in partnership with Boards to plan, attract, train, employ and nurture the health and social care workforce.
This has included completing a review of career pathways for healthcare support workers and publishing a national education and development framework, in November 2022, which provides information on how to progress into a registered practitioner role.
Our recently established Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce will also build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to work by developing plans for recruitment and retention. The Nursing Workforce in Scotland Report, and its recommendations, will be considered by the taskforce as a part of its work.
Over the summer we will continue to work with stakeholders, including the Royal College of Nursing, to develop a Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan.