Local MSP Craig Hoy has expressed concern that the number of locum nurses has increased by 203.4% within NHS Lothian since 2016. With the NHS struggling to keep up with demand across Scotland, these statistics highlight a worrying trend in temporary staffing numbers.
Long-term sickness rates among registered nurses have increased by 11.5% resulting in acute shortages.
Craig has called on the Scottish Government to do more to encourage more full and part time permanent nurses in order to relieve the pressure on the NHS and reduce the need for temporary locum staff.
Craig said: “The Scottish Government must address the underlying reasons why the NHS is so reliant on temporary staff to deliver patient care. The NHS cannot keep relying on expensive locums to plug its staffing holes.
“Between 2016 and 2024, NHS Lothian increased its spending on nursing locums from £3 million to more than £17 million. This is not an efficient or sensible way to deliver NHS services, and it clearly shows that Scotland’s NHS has not recovered from the pandemic.”
He added: “The NHS needs reliable, consistent staffing to reduce the need for locums to be brought in and break this costly cycle. The SNP have badly managed the NHS workforce and has repeatedly failed to train and recruit the staff needed to deliver frontline patient care
