The Scottish Liberal Democrat councillor for Paisley Southwest, Anne Hannigan, has called on the Scottish Government to do more to ease pressures on nurses and midwives after new figures revealed the scale of staff absences due to mental ill health.
Research by the Scottish Liberal Democrats shows that 306,288 days of nursing and midwifery staff time have been lost in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area over the past five years — the equivalent of around 839 years of work.
Cllr Hannigan said the figures highlight the toll that stress and exhaustion are taking on NHS staff in Paisley and across the region.
She said: “Scottish Liberal Democrats have been raising concerns for years now about the stress and pressure that NHS staff are under in Paisley.
“When nurses and midwives are stressed and run off their feet, they are in no position to provide the highest quality care for their patients.
“SNP health secretaries have come and gone but on their watch the situation is simply getting worse in Paisley. Mental health is still treated like a second-class service.
“The Scottish Government must urgently rewrite their failed recovery plan so that it prioritises the recruitment and retention of hardworking staff, preventing burnout and ensuring there are enough staff on each shift..
Cllr Hannigan, added: “I want staff and patients in Paisley to know that the Scottish Liberal Democrats are on their side and we have a realistic plan to get things done. We want to deliver first-rate health care and an end to staff being run ragged on every shift so you can see your GP, dentist or mental health professional when you need them.
“The coming election is an opportunity for change with fairness at its heart for Paisley and with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.”