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Read our manifesto and asks in full to find out exactly why we think the next Scottish government should invest in nursing.
What we're calling for
Our manifesto themes
It's time to stop playing politics with nursing
Nursing staff did not join the nursing profession to spend every shift feeling unable to provide the best possible care to their patients, service users or residents. Scotland cannot build the sustainable nursing workforce it urgently needs by asking staff to continue to work under relentless pressure while feeling demoralised and undervalued. They've reached their limit, things cannot continue as they are.
The gloves are off; nursing is ready to be heard.
Find out what we are calling on the next Scottish government to do to value nursing properly.
Valuing the nursing profession
Nursing has pay, terms and conditions that fail to recognise the level of knowledge, skills and autonomy asked of nursing staff every day.
Nursing staff also have poorer career progression opportunities compared to other graduate professions.
High vacancy levels, poor working conditions and excessive pressures mean worrying numbers are thinking of quitting, with too few new nurses coming through nursing education.
Abuse, violence and racism are common experiences for both home-grown and internationally-educated staff.
Nursing is too often seen as a cost rather than the investment it truly is. Nurses are highly skilled professionals, providing 24/7 care and working with more responsibility than ever before.
It's time for Scottish government to stop relying on our goodwill.
- Fair pay and good employment terms and conditions reflecting nursing’s safety-critical role for registered nurses and nursing support workers in the NHS, independent sector and social care, including sectoral pay bargaining in social care.
- A clear career pathway that allows registered nurses to progress from band 5 to band 6 after completing a period of preceptorship.
- Implementation of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce recommendations, and the investment necessary to deliver this.
- Transformation of workplaces so that nursing staff can thrive and flourish, including the delivery of protected time for learning and development.
- Action to tackle violence and abuse and an end to the exploitation of health and social care workers.
The next Scottish government must implement key measures that will help value the profession better to promote retention of today’s workforce and to attract the workforce of the future. We believe nurses deserve better, a belief supported by the evidence.
Staffing for safe and effective care
Patient care – and outcomes – are put at unacceptable risk when there are too few registered nurses to deliver nursing care safely.
We need the right number of nursing staff, in the right places, with the right skills and experience, to keep patients safe.
Too often staffing decisions are based on affordability rather than need, but it’s a false economy to think you’re saving money by having fewer nursing staff.
Scotland needs a sustainable nursing workforce and ahead of this election we’re calling for nursing to be recognised as an asset, rather than viewed as a cost.
- Introduction of mandatory minimum registered nurse-to-patient ratios for all health and care settings.
- Eradication of the unacceptable provision of care in inappropriate places across Scotland’s hospitals, with health boards recording and reporting all instances. Action to attract more people into the nursing profession, including a nationwide recruitment campaign and an expansion of the routes into nursing.
- Action to attract more people into the nursing profession, including a nationwide recruitment campaign and an expansion of the routes into nursing.
- A cost-of-living increase to the student nurse bursary as well as improved support for students in their academic setting and in practice placements to address worrying dropout rates.
- The protection of nursing courses at Scotland’s universities.
- Development of a long-term workforce plan.
Briefing: Staffing for safe and effective care
The evidence couldn’t be clearer. When there are enough nursing staff, with the right skills, in any care setting – patients are safer. 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.
Briefing: Nursing students
Nursing is a wonderful and deeply rewarding career, offering a wealth of opportunities to work across diverse roles, specialisms, and care settings. But the worrying decline in people choosing to study nursing makes it clear that the next Scottish government must do more to promote nursing careers and support the individuals who do decide to study nursing.
Investing in community services
The balance of care urgently needs to be shifted into the community to better meet the needs of rural communities and future-proof services against increasing need.
But resources cannot simply be moved from under-pressure hospitals in the short term - capacity needs to be increased in the right places, requiring additional funding.
Scottish government and service leaders must recognise that community nursing is central to achieving this ambitious agenda.
Scottish government must back its ambitions with funded plans to grow the registered nurse workforce for community roles. Investing in the learning and development of the existing community nursing workforce is also vital to improving retention as well as enabling the workforce to grow, lead and innovate.
- Investment in growing the essential role of the registered nurse in community services to help shift the balance of care into the community.
- Funding for the social care sector to significantly increase the number of registered nurses employed directly in care homes for adults.
- A sustainable funding model for hospice and end of life care.
- Comparable pay, terms and conditions to the NHS for nursing staff in social care and the third sector.
- Investment in digital technology and training for community nursing staff and the introduction of a Digital Nursing Lead in Scottish government to help drive improvements.
- Better data sharing and improved access to patient records with enhanced integration between NHS and non-NHS systems.
Briefing: Investing in community nursing
Against a backdrop of increasing patient need, there is widespread agreement about the urgent need to shift the balance of care into the community to better serve individuals and achieve more sustainable services. But this has been talked about for years. It is vital that progress is delivered in the next parliamentary session. Scottish government must recognise that community nursing is central to achieving this ambitious agenda.
Briefing: Care homes
Successive Scottish governments have aspired to a policy of shifting the balance of care from hospital services into community settings, which include social care. RCN Scotland firmly supports this ambition, recognising it as essential to meeting population needs and ensuring long-term sustainability. But this shift cannot be realised without strengthening the nursing workforce in social care.
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Briefing: Palliative and end of life care
Nursing staff across the NHS, independent and third sector services play a crucial role in the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care services, in a variety of settings including hospitals, individuals’ homes, care homes and hospices. However, too many people are dying without the support they need and there is an urgent need to improve access to palliative care across Scotland and to secure the vital contribution of Scotland’s hospices.
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Better health for everyone
Better support for good health and wellbeing and addressing health and care needs at an early stage leads to better outcomes for individuals. This also reduces the need for more costly care and support later and help reduce health inequalities.
Prevention and public health are needed more than ever, with an ageing population, rising levels of disease, and more people living with complex conditions.
Nursing, wherever roles are based, offers opportunities to improve wellbeing and prevent illness. Yet, public health initiatives continue to be severely limited by nursing shortages.
We must invest in growing our domestic pipeline of nurses and nursing support workers. But we also have a duty to protect and support those who are already here.
- Prioritisation of action and investment to improve public health to prevent illness, support mental health and tackle health inequalities.
- Recognition of the key role of nursing in prevention and health promotion, with investment to grow and expand these vital nursing roles.
- A “health in all policies” approach to be embedded across all Scottish government departments.
- Scottish government must ensure ethical international recruitment only, and sufficient support for internationally educated nursing staff in Scotland.
- Sustainable practices in healthcare settings, focusing on reducing carbon footprints, waste, and promoting climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure.
Briefing: Better health for everyone
Improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland is key to reducing inequality, driving economic growth and creating a sustainable future. However the dial is moving in the wrong direction. Action is needed to turn around the health of the nation and nursing staff play a vital role. From hospitals to homes, schools to GP practices, care homes to prisons, registered nurses and nursing support workers have unique access to promote health and deliver preventative care, in the places people spend their time.
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