McArthur highlights recruitment and retention challenges for health and social care 

Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur has today called on the government to take specific targeted action to address the workforce planning challenges faced by the health and social care sector in Orkney.  

Speaking during portfolio question time, Mr McArthur highlighted the high vacancy rate faced by Orkney Health and Social Care Partnership as well as a significant ongoing reliance on agency staff.  

Commenting after the exchange, Mr McArthur said:  

“Orkney faces a particularly acute challenge when it comes to staff recruitment and retention in the health and social care sector, where there continues to be unfilled vacancies and significant reliance on agency staff. This is despite a number of measures taken locally to build up the workforce. 

“With an ageing population, demand for social care in particular is only going to increase in the years ahead, making it essential that efforts to address these workforce challenges are stepped up and accelerated.  

“This will need to involve a range of different measures, from improvements in pay, conditions and recruitment processes to greater availability of affordable housing locally.

“In discussions with the Health Secretary following the exchanges in the Chamber, I know she is keen to visit Orkney. I will look to identify opportunities for such a visit in the coming months to allow for more detailed discussions about how the specific workforce challenges in health and social care might be met in Orkney”.