SCOTS are set to be prescribed drugs by nurses and pharmacists over the phone, while new figures show the NHS staffing crisis north of the border is getting worse.

Data released by NHS Scotland yesterday shows that more than 3,300 nursing and midwifery posts were unfilled at the end of June, up from just over 3,200 a year before. There were more than 400 vacancies for consultant doctors.

At the same time, a winter planning blueprint for Scotland’s NHS 24 hotline has revealed that patients dialling in will not necessarily get a GP appointment. Instead, senior nurses and pharmacists will be empowered to prescribe medication down the phone for some conditions.