Ministers have been accused of failing to provide a real picture of Scotland’s NHS crisis after figures revealed more than 600 consultant vacancies were missing from official statistics.
Official data published by the Scottish Government reported 439 vacancies, however figures obtained under freedom of information (FOI) laws by the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland suggest the rate is more than double that.
The FOI figures show there are 1,076 whole-time equivalent vacancies, meaning the rate is 15.9% – compared to 6.9% reported in the official statistics.
Dr Alan Robertson, chairman of BMA’s Scottish consultants committee, said the “missing” figures are enough to staff two large hospitals.
The difference in the figures is because official data does not include posts filled by locums, posts that have not yet been advertised, or posts that have remained vacant for so long they are no longer being advertised – whereas BMA data includes these.
Consultant vacancies also increased from BMA Scotland’s December 2022 figure of 937 whole-time equivalent doctors.
Dr Robertson said the “missing” statistics come as “no surprise given the deepening medical workforce crisis we are clearly in”.
He added: “The Scottish Government needs to be honest, not only with the public, but also with those of us working in the NHS.
“When they declare ‘more doctors than ever before’, not only are they not accounting for the full scale of demand being put on services, but they are not being honest about the senior doctors we are missing from the workforce or how many more are needed.
“The failure to acknowledge the true scale of the problem reflects our wider concerns about the culture of fear, blame and lack of openness that often dominates debate about our NHS, which can prevent proper, open discussion on solutions.
“Morale is low across the profession, with the constant increase in pressure on the NHS and decline in time and resources meaning we simply cannot provide the level of care we want and that our patients deserve.
“We are constantly trying to plug gaps in rotas and make it through each shift one day at a time.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the BMA figures “expose the true – and terrifying – scale” of the NHS workforce crisis.
He added: “Repeated failures by successive SNP health secretaries have left critical services dangerously understaffed and overwhelmed.
“The SNP’s only answer to their mismanagement of Scotland’s finances has been to make us the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom, which as BMA Scotland point out, will only put off many consultants from coming to live and work here.
“Humza Yousaf’s high-tax regime will only deepen the SNP’s NHS crisis even further and heap more pressure on current staff who have been pushed beyond breaking point.
“Neil Gray must be upfront about this situation and take urgent action to fix it. He should start by adopting our plans to deliver a modern, efficient and health service.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “NHS workforce statistics, including vacancies, are produced by NHS Education Scotland following the official statistics code of practice. NHS boards are clear that all advertised vacancies within the NHS are reflected within official figures.
“Our workforce in NHS Scotland is our most important and highly valued asset. The Scottish Government has noted the new offer to consultants from the Department for Health and Social Care has been accepted by the BMA and HCSA trade unions in England.
“We are carefully considering the details of this, and the implications for Scotland’s health service. We must however have transparency on the funding arrangements supporting this pay offer and the extent of any consequentials we would expect to receive for Scotland.”