The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) has today [21 March 2016] set out its healthcare priorities for the incoming Scottish Government following the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary elections. The RCPE’s members have identified three priority areas to ensure safe, patient-centred, high quality medical care and improved public health: health and wellbeing; workforce planning and training; and the integration of health and social care.
The College is calling on the new Scottish Government to develop and implement safe staffing levels for all professions within hospital settings alongside improved workforce planning to address recruitment and retention challenges. The College warns that the size and structure of the medical workforce must be reassessed, taking into account the changing needs of the population as well as addressing vacancies, rota challenges and trainee attrition rates as a priority.
The RCPE supports the introduction of the sugary drinks tax and is calling for number of other measures to be implemented in relation to health and wellbeing, including reducing portion and pack sizes and continued action on problems associated with tobacco and alcohol.
Professor Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:
“The needs of our patients and the NHS in Scotland are changing, and the new Scottish Government must work collectively and in partnership to address the health and wellbeing challenges that we face.
“Developing and implementing safe staffing levels across all professions in the NHS in Scotland must be a policy priority and will be an essential part of ensuring we can deliver high quality weekend and out of hours care. It is also important that we learn from previous failings in care to minimise the risk of recurrence. Part of this will be acknowledging and valuing the contribution of the healthcare workforce at all levels.
“As well as addressing workforce issues, we must continue to improve the health and wellbeing of the population. We know the causes and consequences of obesity and problems associated with alcohol and tobacco are significant. The costs to both the NHS and patients are high, both financially and in terms of avoidable suffering and health problems. Preventative measures such as reduced food portion or pack sizes should be considered alongside policies such as the sugary drinks tax by the incoming Government.”
“Collaboration is essential to make health and social care integration a success and we look forward to working with the Scottish Government and other partners as we move forward.”
Maureen O’Neill, Chair of the RCPE’s Lay Advisory Committee, said:
“Safe and sustainable staffing levels are required to deliver the best possible patient care, and recruiting and retaining a world class workforce is also central to this.
“An ageing population and the increased prevalence of long-term conditions is a big challenge for the NHS in Scotland. As new integration partnerships become operational it is vital that primary and secondary care works in partnership with social care to ensure that where appropriate, patients are treated in a community setting and are empowered to be active participants in their own care”.
ENDS
Contact: Lisa Rooke, RCPE - 07717 895628 / l.rooke@rcpe.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
