Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay today said the SNP’s “broken” healthcare system was leaving patients suffering “degrading” treatment after the publication of a damning report from the Royal College of Nursing.
At First Minister’s Questions, Findlay criticised the “disconnect” between the words of SNP politicians and what nurses on the frontline were saying about the state of the NHS.
The report included views from 500 Scottish nurses who said patient safety was being compromised by “missing routine observations”, “infection control issues”, “long waits for medication”, “extremely unsafe” settings, “no beds available” and “drugs not all available.”
The report described a 32-bed unit which was routinely caring for 60-70 patients.
Findlay raised quotes from nurses, including one who said: “It is degrading, undignified, and at times unsafe for patients who are already angry due to the long waits, sometimes waiting in emergency departments for over 35 hours to go to a ward, just to be put in the corridor. The system is broken.”
Nurses also described being “embarrassed and ashamed at leaving a 100-year-old woman on a trolley in discomfort, and being “disgusted and ashamed that this was the best we could offer a 91-year-old lady”.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “Scotland’s nurses have spoken. This damning report from the Royal College of Nursing lays bare the degrading treatment many patients are facing on a daily basis.
“Patient safety is being compromised and NHS corridors are in chaos.
“Neil Gray shamefully refused to accept what nurses are telling the SNP about the state of our healthcare system.
“Nurses say the system is broken but John Swinney insists everything is fine. He’s denying reality.
“There is a stark disconnect between what SNP politicians think about the NHS and what nurses on the frontline are saying.
“The SNP need to bring forward a serious plan to fix the NHS which involves more than just throwing money at the problem.
“Nurses are being let down and patients are being utterly failed.”