PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING: Stage 1 Debate: Budget 2022-23

This budget comes at a time when our health and care services face unprecedented challenges. RCN Scotland members, like all health and care staff across the country, are exhausted. Many are experiencing the toll of months of unrelenting pressure through mental and physical ill health and burnout. Staff absences through Covid may be beginning to fall, but non-covid sickness rates and a record high nursing and midwifery vacancy rate in the NHS, means there are simply not enough staff to run the health and care services Scotland needs.

This budget must seek to fix this workforce crisis as a priority.

RCN Scotland is therefore calling on the Scottish Government to make the following financial commitments:

• Fair pay for nursing staff across health and social care 
• Implement the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland Act 2019 as soon as possible
• Commit to fully funded, long term workforce planning 
• Acknowledge and address the impact of workforce pressures on staff and on services