Research conducted by Scottish Care, an organisation which represents independent social care services, found that a shortage of nursing staff has resulted in some care homes in Scotland having to pay up to £1000 per shift to private nursing agencies. According to the research, which covered 161 care homes in Scotland, 91 percent of care homes have difficulty filling nursing posts, a large increase on the 68 percent reported just two years ago. Nursing vacancy levels across the industry are now at 31 percent in Scotland.
Scottish Care’s report, Independent Sector Nursing Data, shows that in 2016 the average cost of agency nurses was £343 per shift. That figure has now risen to £434 per shift. Almost half of care home providers say they have increased their use of agency nurses with 36 percent of care homes using agency staff on a regular basis. The increase is likely due to a combination of factors including an ageing population, an ageing workforce (64 percent of nurses in care homes are over the age of 45), and uncertainty around the implications of Brexit.
The Scottish Healthcare System
Health care services in Scotland are provided mainly by NHS Scotland, a public national health service which provides healthcare to all permanent residents. It differs to that of other countries in the United Kingdom in that care is provided through fourteen regional boards.
Scotland covers the northern third of the United Kingdom. It has large rural expanses and a disproportionate amount of elderly people live in rural areas. An increase in demand on aged health care services may be attributed to higher rates of dementia and other conditions. According to Scottish care, independent social care provides 89 percent of care home places in Scotland. As of March 2016 there were 873 care homes providing support for 33,301 residents. There are concerns that continued high fees may result in some homes facing closure.
The NHS is Scotland’s biggest employer with over 160,000 employees, 42.9% of which are nurses and midwives. The Scottish Government claims there has been a 4.7 percent increase in nursing intakes for 2017/18 and that to meet projected requirements extra training places of around 2600 have been created.
HealthStaff Recruitment recruits trained nurses for a range of specialties including aged care. If you would like us to assist you in finding a suitable position, please contact us today.