In our fifth ‘The Nursing Workforce in Scotland’ report, we highlight that nursing staff have seen little meaningful improvement to health and care services, whether in the NHS or independent sector, including on fixing the workforce crisis. While the nursing workforce has grown, the gap between planned and actual staffing remains, with little adjustment to account for the continued increases in demand for services.
Nursing absence rates in Scotland’s NHS are hitting critical levels and current workforce planning provisions are increasingly inadequate to deal with the gaps in the workforce.
The 215 (Scottish) Multirole Medical Regiment nursing team with the Royal Army Medical Service was announced as the 2026 Nursing Team of the Year at the grand RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony tonight (30 April 2026).
Lynn Melville, a Health Care Support Worker with the Airdrie Health Visiting Team in NHS Lanarkshire, was announced as the 2026 Nursing Support Worker of the Year at the grand RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony tonight (30 April 2026).
Connall Green, a nursing student from Glasgow, was announced as the 2026 Nursing Student of the Year at the grand RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony tonight (30 April 2026).
Mike Spall-Hancy, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Sexual Health & HIV, NHS Lothian was announced as the winner of the Clinical Leadership Award at the dazzling RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony tonight (30 April 2026).
Emma-Jane Trayner, Remote Consultation Advanced Nurse Practitioner with the Scottish Ambulance Service in Stornoway, received the Scotland’s People's Choice Award at the grand RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony tonight (30 April 2026).
Professor Anne Whittaker, clinical academic in applied substance use and mental health research and Emeritus Professor of Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport at the University of Stirling, has been awarded the Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland Award for Excellence at the grand RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards ceremony tonight (30 April 2026).
