Scots Tories will deliver extra nurses and midwives
SCOTTISH?Conservative leader Ruth Davidson will today pledge to employ 1,000 extra nurses and midwives in the NHS, paid for by ending free prescriptions.
More than 2,000 nursing posts have been axed by the Scottish Government in the past two years leaving the cash-strapped health service struggling to meet its targets.
Now the Tories are set to outline plans to scrap prescription charges for those who can afford to pay in a bid to cut waiting times and improve patient care.
Ms Davidson, who will address the Scottish Conservative Party conference in Edinburgh today, is also set to take a swipe at First Minister Alex Salmond insisting his “six-figure” salary is enough to pay prescription charges.
She will say: “Under the SNP, the number of nurses and midwives has gone up and down like a fiddler’s elbow – 2,000 posts gone over two years.
Right now, hundreds of places down creating an intolerable pressure on those who are left.
“It’s not good enough, it’s not good enough for staff and it’s not good enough for patients.
“For the young mum turfed out of the maternity ward on the same day she gives birth. For the post-op patient waiting over an hour for a bed pan because staff are rushed off their feet.
“For the nurse whose own health suffers from the stress and exhaustion of doubling his or her workload. It is about time we did something about it.
“The Scottish Conservatives will pledge an extra 1,000 nurses and midwives for Scotland. And once introduced, we will not let number drop below that mark.
“And we’ll pay for it by restoring the prescription charge.
“Not for the young, the pensioner, the pregnant or the poor, but for people who’re earning, who are overwhelmingly happy to make their contribution. Alex Salmond says that on six figures, he should get free aspirin. I say we should have enough nurses to do the job.”
According to figures released last year, the number of nurses and midwives in post has fluctuated significantly over the past eight years, from a low of 56,783 in 2006 to a high of 58,428 in September 2009.
The Royal College of Nursing union says more than 50 per cent of its members have admitted to suffering from work-related stress.
But the plan to reinstate the £.8.05 charge to patients has been slammed by SNP Health Minister Alex Neil. “This is a ludicrous idea from Ruth Davidson which shows how far out of touch the Tories still are,” he said.
