College welcomes committment to a dedicated workforce specialist service in Scotland

02 Sep 2020

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government that they will establish a dedicated workforce specialist service for healthcare workers, along the lines of the services already available in other parts of the UK.

Welcoming the announcement by the First Minister as part of the Scottish Government’s new Programme for Government, College President Professor Jackie Taylor said:

“As our recent wellbeing survey of physicians showed, far too many of our Fellows and Members are effected by burnout and stress at their work. While we need to continue our work to ensure that we address the root causes of these issues by continuing to reform workplace culture and filling ongoing workforce shortages, we welcome this announcement as a very positive step in the right direction. The provision of expert and confidential advice for all NHS staff in Scotland will make a positive difference to the health and wellbeing of all.

“We can only provide the best possible service for our patients if we keep the healthcare needs of doctors at the top of the agenda.”

The College also welcomed the establishment of an independent review of adult social care in Scotland. Professor Taylor added:

“It’s right that the Scottish Government is also establishing a review of adult social care. We must have a high quality, sustainable system of social care in place which provides a continuum of care with the NHS. This is even more important at a time when COVID-19 is reducing the overall capacity of the health service and we must look at ways of easing the pressures. We look forward to contributing to the work of this group in the coming weeks and months.”