This comes as we publish our latest RCN Scotland State of the Profession report which paints a stark picture of the challenges facing nursing staff in hospitals, community services and care homes across the country. The report is published as the latest NHS Scotland workforce data shows nursing vacancies remain stubbornly high, with over 2,800 posts unfilled at the end of September.
The report is based on findings from our 2025 Employment Survey, which is a significant barometer of how members are feeling in their jobs. The survey ran during autumn 2025 and received nearly 1,900 responses from registered nurses and nursing support workers Scotland.
The report’s key findings include:
- a worrying proportion (37%) are actively planning on or thinking about leaving the profession. The main reasons were because they feel undervalued, feel under too much pressure and are concerned about staffing levels.
- almost two-thirds (60%) report that they are too busy to provide the level of care they would like.
- more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents feel that their pay is either ‘inappropriate’ or ‘very inappropriate’ given their role and responsibilities. This is a stark increase from 2015, when it sat at 40%.
- 83% said that they have worked while unwell, despite feeling too ill to do so.
The survey reveals the pressures being felt by nursing staff across Scotland and the report includes testimonies from members.
A clinical nurse specialist in NHS cancer care said: “I would dearly love to leave my job, I’m ashamed to say it as used to be so proud of my role, but I’m exhausted, mentally drained and emotionally burnt out, however I simply cannot afford to leave. Patients deserve better than this. We also deserve not to go home and breakdown every night after a shift finally ends.”
A staff nurse working in a care home said: “There is too much workload which does not equate to the amount of pay I’m getting. No paid breaks when it’s almost impossible going for a break due to the amount of work, being asked to come back to duty before the breaktime finished because you’re the only nurse in the building.”
Commenting on the report Eileen McKenna, Associate Director for Nursing, Policy and Professional Practice, RCN Scotland said:
“Nursing remains a rewarding career, but while many of you still find deep personal satisfaction in your roles, this survey suggests a growing uncertainty about whether nursing will remain a fulfilling profession in the long-term. Scottish government cannot afford to delay addressing this.
“You have told us how undervalued you feel and how dissatisfied you are with your working conditions and ability to provide the level of care you want to. Nursing is key to improving the health of the population and politicians and policymakers need to stay focused on the nursing workforce crisis as we head into an election year.
“Scottish government has been given solutions by the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce but have made little progress on implementation. Scottish government must fully fund and implement the Taskforce recommendations and the Agenda for Change review to convince nursing staff that your contribution is genuinely valued.”
Read the full report here.
