Statistics released from ISD Scotland have shown that nursing and midwifery vacancies in NHS Fife have doubled since last September.
There are now 133.7 vacant nursing posts compared to 60.2 last year at this time, an increase of 122%.
Conservative MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife has labelled the number of vacancies concerning and has urged NHS Fife to do more to recruit the right levels of clinical staff in order to avoid paying expensive agency staff.
Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“It is concerning to see such a dramatic rise in nursing vacancies in Fife in the past year and patients throughout the region will be concerned at the prospect of receiving poorer care.
“Ultimately, there is a shortage in the number of these professionals and we are clearly not training or retaining enough of these personnel in Scotland.
“The SNP has to realise that nurses and doctors are operating under extreme pressure and are calling out for more staff to help ease demand.
“Employing expensive agency nurses to cover demand is a short-term fix that ultimately ends up costing the health board more and NHS Fife must look to recruit nurses on a permanent basis.”