SENIOR medics have accused the Scottish Government of refusing to tackle an ongoing "deterioration" in the NHS after new figures revealed a record number of vacancies among vital posts.
Fresh health service statistics show that more than 470 consultant and 3,200 nursing and midwifery positions were lying vacant at the end of June this year, with many unfilled for six months or more.
The vacancy rates, which have increased by more than a quarter among nursing staff over the course of a year, are the highest since records began to be published a decade ago and mean that one in twenty nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Scotland is vacant.
The rate at which gaps in care are appearing is most keenly felt in district nursing, adult nursing and mental health practitioners.
Vacancy rates in health visiting and paediatric nursing also remain high.
It comes as overall staff numbers working within NHS Scotland continue to rise, with the total workforce currently standing at 138,931, up 0.6 per cent from June 2016.
Simon Barker, chair of the British Medical Association's Scottish consultants committee, said the figures highlighted the Government's "refusal to recognise the year upon year deterioration in consultant recruitment and retention".
He added: "Every unfilled post adds to the stresses and strains of those already working tirelessly to provide the public with a health service it deserves."
Mr Barker continued: "The Scottish Government needs to recognise that creating consultant posts is not enough, they need to be filled too.
"The increase of 1.3 per cent consultants working in post in the last year is completely eclipsed by a 15 per cent increase in vacancies rate over the same time.
"If we are to continue to offer comprehensive high-quality care it is imperative that the Scottish Government acts now, working with BMA Scotland, to demonstrate to existing consultants that they are valued; and to make new posts attractive so that we can continue to provide the kind of health service that our patients deserve."
The Royal College of Nursing's associate director Norman Provan added that nurses were having to work harder to fill in for absent colleagues.
He said: "We are seeing record numbers of vacancies across the NHS in Scotland.
"This is further indication that the Scottish Government and health boards have failed to future-proof the workforce.
"Faced with gaps in their teams, nursing staff are working under enormous pressure and constantly being asked to do more with less."
However, Health Secretary Shona Robison denied there was a staffing crisis within the NHS, saying: "Under this Government, there are now over 11,800 more whole time equivalent staff working in our NHS, with more consultants, nurses and midwives delivering care for the people of Scotland, helping ensure people all across Scotland get the high-quality NHS services that they rightly expect.
"We're committed to both record investment in our health service and ensuring the necessary reforms to deliver the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place, long into the future.
"That is why we're introducing a national and regional workforce planning system across the NHS in Scotland.
"Our national health and social care workforce plan will strengthen and harmonise workforce planning, better accounting for future demand and identifying gaps in supply.
"Through this, we will deliver 2,600 additional nursing and midwifery training places by the end of this Parliament."
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