Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Health spokesman, has raised concerns over the reduction in staff working in NHS Lothian between March 2018 and March 2019.
The NHS board projected staff shows that NHS Lothian will have 41.3 less staff WTE (Work Time Equivalent) than were present in March 2018, 40.3 WTE from nursing and midwifery posts.
NHS Lothian has been under unprecedented pressure this year with record attendance and waiting times.
The UK Conservative Government’s has increased NHS funding, so that Scotland will receive an extra £2 billion in additional funding for our Scottish NHS giving Ministers the capability to deal with staffing issues.
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Lothian MSP, said: “The UK Government has committed to huge increases in health funding, and this will come to Scotland in the form of hundreds of millions of pounds.
“It will then be up to the SNP to pass this on and ensure Scotland’s NHS benefits as a result, including having sufficient numbers of staff.
“That’s not always been the SNP government’s approach, which partly explains why the NHS Lothian has been under so much pressure.
“This has also been compounded by shocking workforce planning by the SNP, that is putting NHS Lothian’s workforce under tremendous strain.
“The SNP must do more to ensure that doctors and nurses are supported and not overwhelmed by a system already operating over capacity.”
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