Achi news desk-
This includes positions that are temporarily filled by a locum as well as positions that have not yet been advertised or where recruitment efforts have been abandoned.
These are routinely excluded from the official vacancy count.
It comes weeks after new safe staffing legislation came into force in Scotland which places a legal obligation on health boards and social care providers to ensure there are enough trained staff in their posts to provide safe care.
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Dr Alan Robertson, chairman of the Scottish advisory committee at BMA Scotland – which received the Freedom of Information responses – said the law was unworkable without “honest” data.
He said: “You need to know what the gaps are before you can work out your workforce plan to fill the gaps.
“If you’re the person on the ground, without a colleague next to you, it doesn’t really matter what the reason is.”
He added: “The failure to recognize the true scale of the problem reflects our wider concerns about the culture of fear, blame and lack of openness that often dominates the debate about our NHS which can prevent open, appropriate discussion on answers.”
The Freedom of Information data suggests that the full-time equivalent vacancy rate for consultants is actually 15.2%, meaning that one in six posts is either unfilled or has a medical vacancy.
This is up from 14.3% when the BMA last requested the data in December 2022 and compares to the 6.9% vacancy rate thrown up by official statistics.
Research published on Wednesday in the BMJ warned that reliance on locum doctors is “potentially detrimental to patient safety” because they tend to be working in unfamiliar departments with less support from colleagues or lack access to vital computer systems.
Dr Robertson, a consultant cardiologist from Tayside, said it was also a “false economy” given the high cost of locum doctors compared to permanent staff.
Annual spending on agency doctors by NHS Scotland has increased from £67 million to almost £120m over the last decade.
Meanwhile, consultant salaries have fallen by 25% in real terms compared to 2008 due to successive sub-inflationary pay rises.
The Scottish Government is under pressure to match the salary offer recently received from consultants in England.
This includes a £3000 rise for those who have been consultants for between four and seven years, as well as reductions in the time it takes for consultants to reach the top of their pay scale.
Dr Robertson said the current situation – combined with Scotland’s higher income tax rates – meant that senior clinicians were now worse off in Scotland than in England.
He said that this, together with opportunities abroad, contributed to the increase in vacancies.
He said: “Possibly, it’s a matter of people moving elsewhere. Ireland – there’s a much more attractive package there.
“I know a couple of A&E consultants who have gone to Dubai. A lot of D&A consultants have gone to Australia because – as well as the money – it’s better working conditions.
“There is also the issue of whether we retain trainees as they come through.
“I’ve also had a couple of emails over the last few months from consultants in England who were thinking of moving to Scotland who no longer are.
“The increase in tax, this is the last straw for some people.
“Previously, we were in a situation in Scotland where people – before tax – were actually paid slightly better than in England, but now we’re in a situation where it’s worse, so we need Government Scotland actually came up with a plan. .
“They’re big on NHS recovery and waiting times – but if we don’t have the staff, I don’t see how that’s going to happen.”
Scotland’s six-tiered income tax system levies 45% on workers earning between £75,001 and £125,140, ​​and 48% on those with wages of more than £125,140.
In England there are only three income tax bands – 40% on £50,271-£125,140, ​​and 45% on earnings over £125,140.
Consultants in NHS Scotland, who qualified from 2004, have a starting salary of just under £97,000, rising to just under £129,000 after 20 years’ experience.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said their workforce figures met the official statistics code of practice.
He added: “NHS Boards are clear that all vacancies advertised within the NHS are reflected in official figures.
“Our workforce in NHS Scotland is our most important and valuable asset.
“The Scottish Government has indicated that the new offer for Consultants from the Department of Health and Social Care has been accepted by the BMA and HCSA trade unions in England.
“We are considering the details of this carefully, and the implications for the Scottish health service.
“We must however be transparent on the funding arrangements that support this pay offer and the size of any resulting sums we would expect to receive for Scotland.”
