Health and Care (Staffing) Bill passes final Holyrood stage
Legislation to support staffing across health and social care services has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill is the first comprehensive multi-disciplinary workload and workforce planning legislation in the UK. Using tools and methodologies developed in nursing and midwifery, it puts into legislation a system-wide approach to supporting and empowering staff across the health and care system to assess and respond to the workload associated with the delivery of high-quality patient care. It will mean that health boards must have in place clear processes to allow front line staff to carry out real-time assessment of staffing needs and effectively mitigate risks.
The bill had cross-party support and was passed unanimously, though as Alison Johnstone for the Greens pointed out during the debate, it "will not create more health and care professionals. It will not address the fundamental shortages that are being experienced across the sector".
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the next steps would be to draft guidance in collaboration with all stakeholders, adding: "It is worth noting that regulations will be laid for every new staffing tool that is developed, which will be subject to affirmative procedure, thereby allowing further scrutiny by members across this chamber to ensure that they match the intention and the principles behind the bill."
Speaking after the debate she said the bill would “ensure that the right people with the right skills are in the right place at the right time".
She added: "Being open about decisions on staffing allows health boards to allocate staff efficiently and effectively. I want staff to feel engaged and informed about decisions relating to staffing requirements and feel safe to raise any concerns about staffing levels.
"I would also like to thank our key partners across the health and care sector for their constructive engagement with us and for their considerable input in this new law. We will continue to work with them to ensure this legislation is implemented effectively and drives positive change."