Scottish Government
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NHS staff numbers rise to record levels
Growth of NHS Scotland workforce continues.
The number of staff working in Scotland’s NHS has risen to a record high, figures published yesterday show.
As of 31 December 2014, the total number of NHS Scotland staff in post was 137,511.9 whole time equivalent (WTE) – an increase of 1.8 per cent in a year.
The figures, released by ISD Scotland, show that under the current government the NHS Scotland workforce has grown by over 8 per cent, with 10,450 more WTE staff.
This includes an additional 2,315.7 WTE qualified nurses and midwives working in the NHS under this Government – a rise of 5.6 per cent to a new record high level of over 43,000 WTE qualified nurses and midwives.
The number of doctors working in the Scottish NHS has also increased by over 2,300 WTE under this Government, an increase of around 25 per cent.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “This Government is committed to protecting our NHS workforce – ensuring we have appropriate levels of staff to deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
“Our NHS staff work incredibly hard to deliver excellent patient care day-in and day-out, and we are determined to give these staff the support they need to meet the increasing demands on our health service.
“That is why it’s welcome to see a further increase in the NHS workforce, with over 10,000 more staff under this Government and nearly 2,500 WTE extra members of staff in the last year alone.
“This, coupled with our decision to increase the health budget next year to a record £12 billion, demonstrates this Government’s commitment to protecting frontline NHS services.
“In Scotland, NHS staff also get a fairer deal than their counterparts south of the border as a result of actions taken by this Government. As well as delivering the fully consolidated pay rise for NHS staff and guaranteeing that all employees are paid at least the living wage, we have also committed to no compulsory redundancies for NHS Scotland staff.
“This stands in contrast to the actions of the UK Government who have failed to provide the same for staff in NHS England.
“In Scotland, we recognise the immense contribution of our staff to the daily running of the health service and we will continue to work with them to grow the NHS workforce, ensuring patients continue to receive the high quality care expected in Scotland.”
Notes To Editors
Full access to the statistical publication can be accessed on the ISD Scotland website:http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/index.asp#1341
If the NHSPRB recommends the increase proposed by Scottish Ministers from April 2015, Agenda for Change staff in Scotland, such as nurses will be better off than their counterparts in England. More information on this is available through a parliamentary question on pay for nursing staff in Scotland:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S4W-20337&DateTo=4/25/2014
