The evidence couldn’t be clearer. When there are enough nursing staff, with the right skills, in any care setting – patients are safer. Every 10% increase in the number of degree educated registered nurses, is associated with a 7% drop in risk of death. The price of unsafe staffing is too high. Patient care, and outcomes, are put at unacceptable risk when there are too few registered nurses to deliver nursing care safely.

Scotland needs the right numbers of nursing staff, with the right skills, in the right place. This election we’re calling for nursing to be recognised as an asset, rather than viewed as a cost.

Our manifesto calls for:

• The introduction of mandatory minimum registered nurse-to-patient ratios for all health and care settings, to protect patients and staff from harm caused by low registered nurse staffing levels.
• The eradication of the unacceptable provision of care in inappropriate places across Scotland’s hospitals, with health boards required to report all instances as a first step.
• Action to attract more people into the nursing profession, including a nationwide recruitment campaign and an expansion of the routes into nursing, to help grow the workforce.
• A cost-of-living increase to the student nurse bursary and the protection of nursing courses at Scotland’s universities, recognising that any cuts to nurse education risks the future of the workforce.
• Development of a long-term workforce plan, based on a robust assessment of increasing need and Scotland’s ageing population.

Find out more about our other themes and calls in our manifesto by visiting The Gloves are Off web pages.