Professor John Robertson OBA
From the Scottish Government yesterday:
The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (“the Act”) is the UK’s first multidisciplinary staffing legislation and Scotland became world leading by enshrining such legislation which applies across our entire health and care system. This legislative step reflected our unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality care and improving outcomes for service users.
The core aim of the Act, to enable better care through appropriate staffing, has been the subject of much focus in its first year of implementation. Early evidence indicates that the Act is fostering greater transparency in staffing decisions and cultivating a culture of openness and honesty. Staff are increasingly empowered to participate in decision-making processes and to raise concerns safely and constructively. This engagement is not only vital for maintaining adequate staffing levels but also for aiding in more robust staffing decisions.
Health Boards, Local Authorities and Integration Joint Boards commissioning are services required to publish and submit annual reports to Scottish Ministers detailing how they have carried out their statutory duties under the Act. This Ministerial report provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of the findings from those annual reports, alongside data from the regulators of care services, highlighting the progress made, areas of success, and areas for further development when implementing the Act across Scotland’s health and care services. It also describes the practical steps the Scottish Government is taking to satisfy its legal obligations under the Act.
How is this working out?
Overall, Scotland tends to have the highest staffing ratios per capita, particularly for doctors and nurses, reflecting higher per-person investment. England has the largest absolute workforce but lower ratios due to its bigger population. Wales often shows the lowest ratios and faces acute shortages in specialties like radiology (37% shortfall).
Key Staffing Ratios per 1,000 PopulationRatios use licensed/employed staff where available. Scotland leads in most categories, with England and Wales lagging behind EU/OECD averages (e.g., UK overall: 3.2 doctors and 8.7 nurses per 1,000 in 2021).
| Category | England | Wales | Scotland | Notes/Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors (all, per 1,000) | ~3.3 | ~3.0 | ~3.5 | |
| Nurses/Midwives (per 1,000) | 7.8–8.0 | 8.0–8.5 | 8.5–9.0 | |
| GPs (per 100,000) | 70 | 65 | 80 |
Scotland’s higher ratios correlate with better retention policies (e.g., 4.25% pay rise in 2025 vs. 3.6% in England/Wales) and legislative focus on safe staffing.
For the full text and the sources used by the above AI-generated answer, see: https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=1994374040258027874
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I am sure the Tories, Reform and the media will present this as ‘more red tape’.
LikeLike
Labour cons included, yes they’ll spin this to make it sound really bad bad bad.
LikeLike
STV reporting that the Scottish NHS and Social Care is at breaking point.
Are rUK figures due out soon?
LikeLike
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced6dx0xewno
Imagine if this was Scotland JB AS and the rest would be screaming for the HS to be sacked.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have linked us to a truly terrible story of women’s experiences of the NHS in NE England. However, most people across the UK – indeed most of those who visit the BBC News website – will remain ignorant of it: I note the BBC classes it as ‘local news’!
Despite the nature of what is being revealed, in the BBC article there is NO mention of the UK government department responsible for England’s NHS, NO mention of the relevant Secretary of State in the UK government, and NOT EVEN a mention of a concerned local MP!
You’re correct. If this was occurring in Scotland, BBC Scotland, STV, The Herald, the Record and the rest plus opposition politicians in Holyrood – even Labour MPs with Scottish seats at their cringe-worthy, manufactured contributions at PMQs – would all have gorged on this issue for all it’s worth. And it would all have been the fault again of that very bad SNP in government and the Cabinet Secretary for Health must resign …. again!
LikeLiked by 2 people