Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34348 by Maree Todd on 28 February 2025, what its position is on the extent to which it is responsible for the use of locum psychiatrists in NHS Scotland, in light of its authorities and powers regarding the relevant labour market and regulatory conditions, and its authorities and powers regarding the direction of NHS boards.
The deployment of medical agency staff, including locum psychiatrists, is a matter for individual NHS Scotland Health Boards. Health Boards should always be seeking to secure best value whenever they enter into arrangements regarding use of locums in order to maximise the impact that investment has on the quality and availability of patient care.
To address specific challenges in the recruitment and retention of permanent psychiatrist posts in Scotland, we have established a Working Group which is actively considering locum usage. The specific challenges facing psychiatry have been considered by the Medical Locums Task and Finish Group. The Psychiatry Working Group will make a series of recommendations and are expected to report to Ministers in Spring 2025.
Scottish Ministers have a number of mechanisms open to them to drive improvements in the delivery of services across NHS Scotland, with powers of direction under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 being just one of those.