The BBC reports that NHS Scotland is facing a shortage of midwives in the future.
The Royal College of Midwives has warned that Scotland is facing a retirement time bomb, with about 40% of midwives now in their 50s and 60s, compared with 30% only four years ago.
Scottish Labour pointed to Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to cut nursing and midwifery training places as Health Minister as a cause.
Scottish Labour have also been warning about a looming crisis in general practice for months, and called for the SNP to get a grip on workforce planning to make our health service fit for the future.
Scottish Labour Public Services Spokesperson Dr Richard Simpson said:
“Our NHS is Scotland’s most valued public service. Now more than ever we need a health service free at the point of need to deliver the care Scots deserve regardless of how much money they earn.
Our NHS needs to be fit for the future but we are looking at potentially disastrous shortages of midwives and family doctors because of cuts made by this SNP Government.
Our health service is facing a staffing time bomb because of the SNP’s sticking plaster approach. The SNP’s handling of workforce planning has been an absolute disaster.
Last week the experts at Audit Scotland exposed the extent of the problems in our NHS under the SNP Government in Edinburgh as they have cut the health budget.
These problems in our NHS did not appear overnight, they began on the First Minister’s watch. Under the SNP Government NHS staff are undervalued, under resourced and under intolerable pressure.”
