Health staff numbers rise

The number of health professionals increased

The number of doctors, dentists, nurses and other health professionals working in the Scottish NHS increased by more than 1,200 in the last year.

The figures, released by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of NHS Scotland, have been welcomed by Health minister Malcolm Chisholm.

He said the report demonstrated how Scotland was a step further to having a "bigger and stronger" NHS.

It also showed that increased investment was now beginning to deliver the extra staff needed, he said.

Mr Chisholm said the Scottish Executive was "far from complacent" about workforce issues within the NHS and would be stepping up efforts to recruit more staff and speed up reform.

The figures, based on the ISD annual census of NHS staff, show that for the year from 30 September:

• Nursing and midwifery staff increased by 806 from 61,532 to 62,338

• The number of general medical practitioners, GPs and dentists, increased by 80 from 4,070 to 4,150

• Other medical professionals including physiotherapists to radiographers, increased by 340 from 8,560 to 8,900

• The intake of student nurses and midwives increased by 376 from 2,866 to 3,242.

The health minister said: "These statistics are highly encouraging.

"They reflect the increased investment already delivered to support NHS staff by the executive, and the range of initiatives now under way to value and support all the staff groups that make up the NHS team."

But Mr Chisholm said the executive was still very aware of the need for more staff in the NHS.

"Encouraging though these figures are, there is no room for complacency.

"Further sustained investment and reform is required if we are to address the wide range of recruitment and retention issues currently facing the NHS."

'Haemorrhaging' nurses

He added: "As health investment increases by nearly 50% by 2008, we must ensure that funding for additional posts is translated into real staff increases - not more NHS vacancies."

Scottish National Party health spokeswoman Nicola Sturgeon said the number of young nurses entering the profession was still alarmingly low.

"Scotland is haemorrhaging nurses to south of the border, to Australia and to America because they are being offered better pay rates in these places," she said.

"We have got to more to encourage our nurses to stay here in Scotland because if we don't we are facing a severe nursing shortage in the short to medium term."