The true level of consultant vacancies across Scotland is high enough to staff two large hospitals, according to the British Medical Association (BMA) which is calling for “urgent action” to address the NHS workforce crisis.

Doctors’ union BMA Scotland said the government’s own figures fail to capture the full extent of the staffing problem, after health boards revealed they have more than 1,000 whole-time equivalent vacancies.

Representing more than double the consultant vacancies recorded in official statistics, the findings follow the union’s annual freedom of information (FOI) request to health boards.

Dr Alan Robertson, chair of the BMA’s Scottish Consultants Committee, said the findings show an “alarming lack of progress” in tackling consultant vacancies:

“Our figures show there are still more than 1,000 WTE consultant vacancies across Scotland – a significant number at any time, but even more so when the NHS is facing a real and sustained crisis.

“The official statistics published by the Scottish government are failing to acknowledge the true scale of the problem and we should not be having to rely on obtaining figures through FOI to get a true picture of what is happening.”

According to the most recent statistics published by NHS Education for Scotland, there are 398 WTE vacancies, with a rate of 6.2%.

Meanwhile, the vacancy figures BMA Scotland obtained include temporarily locum-filled vacancies, posts that have not yet been advertised and posts that have remained vacant for so long they are no longer being advertised.

With these posts included, the number of consultant vacancies reaches 1,003 WTE across NHS Scotland, with a vacancy rate of 14.4%.

Dr Robertson said the figures are “particularly alarming” given the First Minister recently unveiled plans to “safeguard the NHS”, which included a pledge to deliver 150,000 extra appointments and procedures this year.

He said there is a “major question mark over how this extra capacity can be delivered”, a concern also raised by Holyrood’s public audit committee.

“Too little too late”

Dr Robertson said that while there has been a small drop in the total number of NHS consultant vacancies since last year, the current pace of change would mean filling all the vacant posts would take more than 13 years.

He said for both patients and the staff working across NHS Scotland, this would be “too little too late” and investment in recruitment and retention is needed now as outlined in the recent winter pressures survey demonstrated.

Nearly all of the doctors who responded to the survey expressed concerns about the impact of increased pressures on the NHS this winter, with70% believing it operates on “crisis mode” all year.

“We need urgent action to tackle the medical workforce crisis – which includes firstly recognising and acknowledging the true picture when it comes to Scotland’s medical workforce vacancies and then planning to recruit and retain the staff needed to provide the public with the service they require and expect, ensuring the long-term sustainability of our health service.”

Dr Robertson said while the consultant pay deal last year was a “welcome step” towards restoring pay in line with inflation, the government must deliver long-term stability to NHS Scotland.

A Scottish government spokesperson told healthandcare.scot:

“There are a record high number of Medical & Dental Consultants in Scotland, including Directors. Since 2006, the number of Consultants has increased by 70% and our NHS workforce has seen 12 consecutive years of growth.

“While vacancies within in an organisation as large and complex as NHS Scotland are to be expected, we are supporting Boards to fill more shifts with either staff in substantive roles or by individuals on NHS Board staff banks, limiting the use of agency as much as possible.”

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