New nurses struggle to find jobs

The Royal College of Nursing Scotland accused health boards on Sunday of using "unsustainable tactics" in a desperate bid to save money, including freezing posts and not replacing staff who leave.

RCN warned that this money-saving drive has led to a devastating drop in job opportunities for newly trained nurses.

The union expects that the worse is still to come after the announcement by Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon in June that almost 4,000 NHS jobs, including 1,500 nursing and midwifery posts, will be axed this year.

RCN Scotland associate director Ellen Hudson voiced her concerns about the impact of any cuts on people trying to start a career in nursing.

She also warned of the "devastating consequences" for future patient care if older nurses are not replaced by newly registered nurses.

The Royal College of Midwives Scotland has spoken of similar concerns and suggested there may soon be no jobs at all for newly qualified midwives.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Labour Party has accused the SNP government of wasting money on training nurses who cannot get jobs.

Labour Party health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "These cuts could have a devastating effect on the NHS. Ms Sturgeon has to address the fact money is being wasted on training nurses and midwives who can't get jobs. Labour has called time and again for the Scottish government to protect front-line services."

But Ms Sturgeon has insisted patient care would not be affected by the cuts and said there would be no compulsory redundancies.

"We are aware that some health boards have lower vacancy rates for newly qualified nurses and midwives than others, and we are working with them to find quick solutions," she said.

"Our national one-year job guarantee scheme aims to ensure every newly qualified nurse or midwife receives the offer of a job either through their own means or with assistance."