More than 100 nurses are needed at the Royal Alexandra Hospital as health bosses argue waiting times at the A&E department are improving.
Figures obtained by the Paisley Daily Express show there are currently 120 vacancies for nurses at the Paisley hospital alone. That accounts for 10 per cent of the nursing workforce.
The news comes eight months after then health secretary Humza Yousaf pledged an additional £8 million to bolster medical staff in Scottish hospitals.
The commitment included a promise to attract 750 additional nurses, midwives and health professionals from oversees. The vow was made last October when waiting times were skyrocketing at the RAH A&E department.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) says it is working hard to fill the gaping hole in staffing levels while arguing investment in its virtual A&E clinic is driving down waiting times at the RAH.
In recent weeks, up to 75 per cent of people have been seen within the four-hour target time. However, on some occasions – such as the week ending May 19 – that figure has plummeted to 58.1 per cent.
The Scottish Government target is for 95 per cent of patients to be seen, treated, admitted or discharged within four hours.
But West Scotland MSP Neil Bibby said the staff levels and progress promised by the Scottish Government has not materialised.
He told the Paisley Daily Express: “We know that RAH staff do an amazing job but we also know from the staff themselves that the problem is there’s not enough. These figures confirm the true extent of the challenging situation.
“RAH staff are working around the clock but are not being supported by this government – with an exodus from the NHS as a result. Humza Yousaf has overseen this crisis first as health secretary and now as First Minister.
“The Scottish Government have a duty to fix this crisis now. Failure to do so will result in more patients waiting longer for the treatment they need. We need real investment to train and retain new staff and to reduce the pressures on our existing hard-working NHS staff.”
A spokesperson for NHSGGC said: “As is the case in all healthcare settings, we are facing staffing challenges. The RAH has 1,036 registered nurses, with 120 current nursing vacancies actively being recruited for.
“Our recruitment teams are working hard to address these, with continued local recruitment drives, significant work around international recruitment and the on boarding of newly qualified nurses.
“Where vacancies exist, staff are offered overtime and colleagues from our staff bank, of more than 15,000, are deployed to supplement priority areas.”
Confirmation of the nursing crisis comes as the Labour party reveals there are currently 5,500 vacant nursing and midwifery posts across Scotland. Filling those gaps cost health boards £169.7m in agency fees in 2022/23.
It also comes weeks after the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland said not enough progress had been made ahead of the onslaught of demand expected again this winter. The organisation said while there are some signs of improvement at a national level, comparatively “we remain in a difficult situation when compared to previous years”.
But chiefs at NHSGGC have vehemently defended progress made in tackling urgent out of hours care.
In April, the health board’s virtual A&E clinic saw 178 people from Renfrewshire, with more than half, 94, treated remotely or at another more appropriate service. The remainder were asked to attend A&E for treatment, 79 at the RAH.
The spokesperson added: “The department’s performance has been on an improving trend throughout this year.
“Indeed, the latest Public Health Scotland statistics, published on June 6 show that 73.5 per cent of patients who presented at A&E were seen within the four-hour waiting times target, against a Scotland-wide average of 68.6 per cent.
“As is the case throughout the country, services at the RAH and across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are under considerable pressure. All our staff are doing all they can to address these challenges, and we would like to thank them for their continuing commitment and professionalism.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said nationally nursing and midwifery vacancies have reduced by 10.3 per cent in the past 12 months.
He said: “While A&E performance continues to fluctuate as we work towards recovery, we are encouraged by these latest monthly stats which show performance moving in the right direction, with fewer patients waiting more than four hours to be seen.
"We know performance is not where it needs to be and we continue to work closely with the health boards facing the greatest challenges, to drive down waiting times and improve services for patients and staff.”
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