Scotland’s Health Secretary has admitted he is worried by the low number of new nurses being trained each year.
Neil Gray accepted there was a requirement to reduce the pressure on nursing staff to allow them to do their jobs better.
The SNP minister said today there was also need to make the job “more attractive” to possible recruits.
The Scottish Government has a target of training 4,500 nurses a year but has only managed 3,500 in each of the last two years.
It comes after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) last week warned that acceptances onto nursing courses had stagnated, with numbers being accepted still below pre-covid levels.
Eileen McKenna, an RCN director, said Scotland “does not have the number of nurses that are needed to meet demand for care in health and social care services right now”.
Asked why it could not persuade more people to join training courses, Gray said: “This is the focus of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, which has just concluded its first phase of work and will be reporting in the New Year on its recommendations.
“It’s a worry for me, that those courses that are available, and the support available for people to come through those courses, is not being taken up to the levels we want them to be.”
Asked what the cause of the low take-up, Gray added: “Some of it comes down to making sure it is an attractive profession to work in. That’s why I want to make sure we get the balance right around the narrative on the health service.
“I am celebrating the successes of it, as well as recognising its challenges.
“I have family members who work in the health service, I recognise the challenges that are there, but I also am able to see the incredible work being done, and about the fact staff love their jobs.
He continued: “Alongside the service delivery reform and improvements that we need to make, we need to make it easier for staff to do their jobs. That makes it more attractive. I recognise that.
“Part of the recommendations coming from the taskforce is about supporting staff better, and about recognising that the pressure is reduced.”
Gray was also asked about a report last week which warned mothers and newborn babies came to harm because of staffing shortages and a “toxic” culture at Edinburgh’s maternity unit.
NHS Lothian commissioned a report into the obstetrics triage and assessment unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after a member of staff raised concerns in February this year.
The investigation upheld or partially upheld 17 concerns about safety.
Gray said he had met with NHS Lothian bosses last week to discuss the “very concerning” report.
“They had a very clear message from me about the need for improvement,” he added. “When a whistleblower comes forward, those concerns must be treated with the gravity they deserve.
“And I am expecting a very clear response from NHS Lothian.”
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said the nursing statistics were “deeply worrying”.
“If the SNP does not act quickly to recruit and retain nurses, our NHS will be hollowed out from within,” she said.
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, clickhere