Hyslop Welcomes Record NHS Staff Levels with 10.2% increase in last 10 Years
Fiona Hyslop MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency has welcomed new figures published this week (7th March) revealing that the number of staff working in NHS Lothian has risen by 10.2% over the last 10 years.
At the end of 2016, there was over 20,085 staff working with NHS Lothian and an overall headcount of 162,302 staff across NHS Scotland, with nearly 1,000 of these staff members recruited in the last year. In the same year, health spending per head was 7.2% higher in Scotland compared to England, where the health service has been described by the Red Cross as facing a “humanitarian crisis”.
Commenting, Fiona said;
“Ten years of SNP Government has produced 12,200 more staff working in our NHS in Scotland with a 10.2% increase in health service staff at NHS Lothian in that time.
“This number includes 6 new paediatric doctors that NHS Lothian have recruited for St John’s Hospital in Livingston, following the recommendations published in the Royal College of Paediatricians and Children’s Health Report last year. I and my SNP Colleagues submitted a comprehensive report to the Review Team which highlighted why a 24 hour 7 day a week paediatric ward at St John’s Hospital is crucial to a community with a growing population.
“We know that the there’s a rising demand on our NHS, but it is clear from last week’s figures that the SNP is committed to making our workforce fit for the future and equipped for the challenges ahead.”
Fiona and SNP colleagues’ submission to Royal College of Paediatricians’ and Children’s Health Review Team: