Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has secured a Scottish Parliament debate on NHS recruitment and retention scheduled to take place on Thursday afternoon.
The MSP submitted the motion as she believes more healthcare related courses should be established in the Highland region to meet staffing challenges in many clinical disciplines including midwifery, mental health services and women’s health services.
In 2019, the University of the Highlands and Islands established a shortened midwifery course in response to the workforce need in northern Scottish health boards. However, the Scottish Government did not approve a third cohort in 2021 and moved the course to Edinburgh Napier University.
The MSP hopes that this debate will make clear to the Scottish Government that the workforce shortage is still prevalent in the Highlands and Islands and it is, in fact, slowing the expansion of services.
Rhoda Grant said: “We recently saw the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Humza Yousaf, open two new community hospitals in the Highland region. As much as I welcome this investment, lack of staff means that part of new Broadford Hospital remains unused.
“We must establish local courses using our world-
“In the face of more people reaching retirement age and the need to develop more services, I appreciate that NHS Highland are requiring staff urgently and thus they’re looking to recruit elsewhere however, The Scottish Government need to do more to help boards recruit, train and retain staff, especially within our northern health boards.”
MSP secures Scottish Parliament debate on training more nurses in the Highlands and Islands to tackle NHS workforce shortage
8 June 2022