SCOTTISH nursing is in crisis with more leaving the profession than being trained, the Royal College of Nursing Scotland warned today.

The RCN’s second annual Nursing in Scotland report paints a challenging picture for the Scottish government, showing that vacancy rates were running at between 8 and 9 per cent in the last year, while 4,238 nurses left the job over the same period – a 10-year high.

RCN’s Julie Lamberth said: “This report lays bare the full scale of the challenges facing the Scottish government and employers to scale the nursing workforce crisis.

“With the number of nurses leaving the profession reaching the highest level for 10 years, and with ever higher numbers of care homes reporting nursing vacancies, it’s no wonder that our health and care services are under severe pressure.

“As worrying is the decrease in the number of people applying to universities to study nursing. In addition, millions are being spent on temporary staff to try to fill the gaps.

“The Scottish government must bring forward sustainable domestic recruitment and retention planning that will turn the tide of persistent nursing shortages.”

As early as 2009, the RCN had opposed then SNP Health Secretary and future First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s proposals to cut 300 training places.

The new report returns to the theme of training places, noting that 600 fewer nursing students started courses in Scotland last autumn than the 4,356 the Scottish government has planned for, a fall of 8 per cent on the previous year.

RCN Scotland director Colin Poolman said: “Our nursing staff need the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care and Scottish government to be focused fully on the task in hand.

“It’s only a year until the Safe Staffing Act comes into force and we still have near-record nursing vacancies.

“The clock is ticking for the Scottish government to find effective solutions to the nursing workforce crisis.”

The report’s publication comes on the eve of a crucial “round table” discussion on the future of nursing between unions and government.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said that the government “values the work of our nursing staff” and claimed those on the Agenda for Change scale had a “pay deal worth more than £1 billion over the last two years.”

He said: “We aim to make our nurses the best paid in the UK, as well as also having the best conditions and career opportunities.”