The NHS celebrates its 63rd birthday this week. Launched by Aneurin Bevan in July 1948, I think the NHS is Labour's most enduring and cherished public service.
We can be thankful that NHS Scotland is not about to be reorganised by David Cameron. This does not mean however that the NHS in Scotland is immune from cutbacks. In fact staff numbers in nursing and midwifery are in significant decline; reduced by the SNP government in Holyrood. Recent publication of official NHS Scotland workforce statistics showed that over the first six months of 2011, 1,600 Whole-Time Equivalent (WTE) NHS staff have lost their jobs, including over 700 nurses and midwives.
At the time, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Jackie Baillie MSP, said:
“The SNP said they would cut NHS managers, but it is clear from these new figures that it is frontline nurses that are being forced to bear the brunt of the SNP’s cuts. It is simply unacceptable.
“Cuts on this scale will place enormous pressure on the staff that are left behind. There are real concerns about patient care and increased risk of Hospital Acquired Infections like C.diff as staff struggle to cope.”
The published statistics show that
- The total number of staff in post (WTE) as at 31 March 2011 is 133,325.6 (excluding GPs & GDs) compared with 134,964.2 (WTE) as at 30 September 2010. This is a decrease of 1.2% (1,638.6 WTE). (figures extracted from Table OAQT1 on p.7)
- The number of nursing and midwifery staff in post as at 31 March 2011 is 57,166.9 (WTE), compared to 57,878.3 (WTE) as at 30 September 2010, a decrease of 1.2% (711.4 WTE). (figures extracted from Table NMQT2 on p.23)
The full figures are available at
