Emergency measures considered over Scotland's doctor shortage

Health boards in the north of Scotland have been asked to consider invoking measures generally used for major incidents to help cope with medical workforce shortages. The move would involve sharing staff between health boards in an extension of the ‘mutual aid’ arrangements put in place to deal with issues such as a flu pandemic or major traffic accident. The NoSPG (North of Scotland Planning Group), a collaboration of six Scottish health boards, including NHS Grampian, Highland, Tayside and the island boards, has been trying to come up with ways of coping with shortages of doctors. A paper prepared for consideration by the group warns that ‘with the rising number of medical vacancies across the country there is a risk workforce shortages could pose a risk to the sustainability of essential services’. It adds: ‘There is an opportunity to consider how mutual aid could be used in the short term to enable the sharing of skills and workforce across health boards in the event of a possible disruption to the provision of essential services.’ The Scottish Government welcomed the proposals, saying that there were already many good examples of health boards working together — and pointing out that staffing in the NHS was at an all-time high.   Severe problems But BMA Scotland council chair Peter Bennie (pictured) said long-term action was needed to solve the workforce crisis. ‘The fact that a number of health boards are looking at w...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news