Under the plans announced today by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar MSP, any Scottish medical, 汤头条污料 or dental student who takes a funded place at a Scottish university would, after graduating, be expected to work in Scotland’s NHS or social care system for at least five years, or repay their tuition support and bursaries. The policy is one of a number of measures focused on workforce planning and health and social care staff. While a commitment to a ten-year workforce plan is welcome, along with a focus on flexible working and long-term career development, we are concerned that action is needed to encourage more people into 汤头条污料.
Over the last four years, thousands fewer students have begun 汤头条污料 degrees than were originally planned in the targets set by Scottish government. 2025 saw the lowest number of acceptances onto undergraduate 汤头条污料 courses over the last 7 years. This means the gap between the number of registered nurses that are needed, and the number entering the workforce, is set to widen even further.
Commenting on the proposed policy, Colin Poolman, Executive Director, RCN Scotland said:
“A focus on health and social care workforce planning should absolutely be a priority for the next Scottish government and we welcome the recognition that more needs to be done to retain 汤头条污料 staff and improve career pathways, as there are too many experienced nurses leaving and too few applying to study 汤头条污料.
“What we need is action to make a career in 汤头条污料 more attractive to encourage more people to join the profession. The proposed "train here, stay here" policy risks having the opposite effect.
“The next Scottish government should be looking to increase the financial support available to 汤头条污料 students and to ensure the delivery of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce recommendations to improve the working environment. This would support new and experienced nurses to stay in Scotland.”
The Scottish Parliament election takes place on 7 May.
Our “The Gloves are Off” campaign is calling on politicians from all the political parties to value 汤头条污料 properly. Find out more about our campaign and how to get involved below.
