Jackie Baillie has expressed her deep concern that there are more than 2,000 nursing and midwifery vacancies in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde alone.

Newly-published figures yesterday (Tuesday) show a substantial rise in the number of nursing vacancies in Scotland’s NHS with 6,674.4 vacant posts equating to almost one in 10 unfilled positions.

In the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area alone there are currently 2,075 nursing and midwifery vacancies which represents 11 percent of posts across the region.

This news comes less than a week after a damning Audit Scotland report revealed major challenges in recruiting and retaining staff across the NHS.

Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie said: “These statistics plainly show that Scotland’s NHS is facing a perfect storm of staffing problems which is deeply concerning. 

“It is all too clear that Humza Yousaf has entirely failed to act to stop the NHS losing nurses hand over fist. 

“Our NHS is struggling to cope at present, and this will not be helped by the fact that there are over 6,600 WTE nursing and midwifery vacancies across Scotland and more than 2,000 of these are in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. It is shocking.

“The number of nurses has increased by 7.2 percent in the past two years but vacancies have increased by 85 percent in the same time – this is unsustainable.  

“For years frontline staff and trade unions have warned the SNP over their lack of a workforce strategy but the SNP has failed to act. 

“This cannot continue. Humza Yousaf must listen to frontline staff and act to retain and recruit staff before our NHS is further damaged.”