Ministerial Scottish Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce: report and recommended actions

About this report

We welcome the recommendations from the Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce and will continue to work in partnership across Scotland’s health and social care services to implement these as we strive to make Scotland the best place for nursing and midwifery staff to work. In doing so we will ensure we implement at pace and, critically, deliver lasting improvements which enable our nursing and midwifery staff to succeed, feel real pride in their professions and the care they deliver, and enjoy being at work.

Scotland’s health and care services have a lot to celebrate, and we recognise and value the contribution that all nursing and midwifery staff offer in providing safe and effective person centred care every day. We appreciate that there are challenges to be addressed and the recruitment, wellbeing and retention of staff are some key factors in overcoming these challenges.

In the development of this report we have been privileged to work with a broad range of experts to establish the recommended actions. In doing so, we recognise that the needs of our changing population requires the Nursing 2030 Vision and Midwifery 2020 programme to be refreshed to take account of changes since their launch. The strong foundation of the NMT recommended actions will further our ambition to create an environment in Scotland where we meet the changing and evolving needs of our population robustly by increasing: the quantity of nursing and midwifery- led evidence-based research; innovative models of care; prevention strategies; academic teaching of the professions; improved uptake of new and novel technology; and fresh ideas across all areas of the professions.

We firmly believe that by acting upon these recommended actions we will emerge with a happier, healthier and better equipped workforce, working in environments that enable our colleagues to provide high standards of care when meeting the needs of people across the country.

We would like to sincerely thank all of our colleagues on the Taskforce, for their consistent and clear commitment to ensuring Scotland is the best place for nursing and midwifery staff to work, thrive and deliver their best care. Our thanks extend to all nursing and midwifery staff, students and academics who took part in the Listening Project and made their voices heard and, in doing so, shaped the recommended actions within this report.

Anne Armstrong

Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Justine Craig

Chief Midwifery Officer

Scotland has health and care services to be proud of, with a long history of excellent patient care and great innovation. While there is a lot to celebrate, our health and care services face a number of challenges, and recruitment and retention of staff is one of the most critical. Nursing and midwifery staff are at the heart of health and care services and work tirelessly to care for people and patients in a range of settings. I would like to pass on my thanks to each and every one. However, I know there is more to do to retain our excellent staff, and to attract the workforce of the future. I want Scotland to be the best place for nursing and midwives to work and that is why the Scottish Government was pleased to respond to requests from the trade unions to establish a Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce. I would like to thank all of the nurses, midwives, students and academics’ who took the time to share their views with the Taskforce to help shape their work. And finally I would like to thank the members of the Taskforce who have worked collaboratively to use that feedback to recommend the actions within this report and I look forward to continuing to work together to build a sustainable workforce for the future.

Neil Gray

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care