Health secretary keen to visit Orkney amid plea on social care staffing
Scotland’s health secretary is keen to visit Orkney, amid calls to step up efforts to improve social care staffing.
Liam McArthur MSP called on the Scottish Government to take specific targeted action to address the workforce problems in the county.
He has called for “improvements in pay, conditions and recruitment processes”, and for more affordable housing to be available.
Over the last six years, the local authority’s reliance on agency staff has increased significantly to fill vacancies at the authority.
In 2024-25, the cost of agency staff reached £5.8 million, with almost £1 million spent on travel and accommodation costs, according to figures compiled by Orkney Health and Care (OHAC).
Speaking at Holyrood on Wednesday, Mr McArthur highlighted the high vacancy rate.
He said: “Despite local recruitment initiatives, Orkney Health and Care still faces long standing vacancies and significant reliance on agency staff. With an ageing population demand is only going to rise.
“Yet expectations are that health and social care will bear the brunt of efforts to close the £5 billion gap in Scotland’s public finances by 2030.”
Cabinet secretary for health and care, Angela Constance said that workforce planning was the responsibility for local authorities, but that the Scottish Government was committed to help.
She added that government officials had discussions with OHAC chief officer, Stephen Brown.
Ms Constance said: “I know that the vacancy rate in Orkney is higher than the national average, although I do have to say that NHS staff and social care staff has actually increased and the spend on agency staff has actually decreased.”
After the discussion, Mr McArthur said it is essential that efforts to address these workforce challenges are “stepped up and accelerated.”
He added: “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”.