The Heart to Heart Blog

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Nursing Cuts - Who is Right?

by John - 12:37 on 27 January 2012

The Scottish Government announced that this year's intake of trainee nurses and midwives would be cut by 10%, taking it to its lowest level in 15 years.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:-
"Having looked at Board’s workforce plans, along with improved student attrition rates and record numbers of student nurses already in undergraduate programmes, I believe that a reduction in intake for the 2012 academic year is a sensible way forward.
The intake sets a balance between ensuring the right number of nurses and midwives for the future while also minimising the risk of oversupply and graduate unemployment."

Theresa Fyffe, director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland, said:-
"Last year we agreed, reluctantly, to a 12% cut in numbers for 2011-12, but all the evidence we've gathered shows that this further cut in numbers in 2012-13 risks there not being enough professionally qualified nurses graduating to meet the demand for health services in the future and that this cut will be bad for patient care."

As a patient I find these two views, at best contradictory, at worst, one opinion must be less than forthcoming with the truth.
But which of the two opinions is an accurate interpretation of the truth of this mater?

Let us hope that I and my fellow patients do not find the answer to that question the hard way. 

Sources:
The Scottish Government

STV News

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