Responding to publication of the Royal College of Nursing in Scotland’s manifesto for the Holyrood election, Alison Johnstone MSP, Health and Wellbeing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said:
“RCN Scotland is right to highlight the need for long-term workforce planning and protected time for professional development. Training and recruitment of staff is absolutely vital as our health service adjusts to the pressures of an ageing population and more complex medical and caring needs.
“I’m confident that those working in the NHS will see much in the Scottish Greens manifesto to show that more Green voices will get Holyrood moving further and faster in the right direction, with preventative health spending and quality of life for patients at the heart of Scotland’s health policies. Scotland can give nursing staff the resources they need to give excellent care to patients, and we must also see additional emphasis on tackling the low pay and fuel poverty that leads to health inequalities in our communities.”
And responding to the announcement by the Scottish Government of an additional £2million to tackle Edinburgh’s social care crisis, Alison Johnstone, Health and Wellbeing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, added:
“Over the last year Edinburgh has struggled with almost £10m overspend on the health and social care budget and even then has carried thousands of hours of unmet care needs each week. £2m extra is welcome but an awful lot more is needed to bridge the gap.”