By Lucy Ashton
New NHS workforce statistics show that there were 3,227 nursing and midwifery vacancies as at the quarter ending June 2025, which represents a 51.6% increase since December.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “This hugely troubling rise stems all the way back to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP cutting training places and claiming that was ‘sensible’.
“In the years that followed, staff have been run ragged. Exhausted and demoralised, they are struggling to provide the high-quality care patients need, and many are reaching for the door.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats want better for our nurses and midwives so we can deliver first-rate healthcare to everyone. That’s why we have a realistic plan to tackle burnout and prioritise the recruitment and retention of hardworking staff.”
The nurse in the picture is one of those “run ragged” during the Covid pandemic. Top of page picture is of nurses meeting health board chiefs.
Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said Scotland desperately needs world class mental health services after new figures showed 4,385 children and young people and 23,746 adults waiting for treatment.
The Public Health Scotland data also shows:
- 4,385 children and young people and 23,746 adults were waiting for treatment at the quarter ending June 2025;.
- Just 78.3% of adults were seen within 18 weeks of referral to psychological therapies, far below the target of 90%.
- 272 children and young people and 2,612 adults waiting more than a year to start treatment.
- Only 67.8% of referrals in the quarter ending June 2025 were accepted.
Mr Cole-Hamilton, left, said: “Almost 30,000 children, young people and adults are waiting for mental health care. Yet for many it will be an entire year before they start treatment.
“They are being let down and left languishing on waiting lists.
“Scotland deserves better than this. It deserves world class mental health services.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats are the party of mental health. We would fund more mental health support in schools, get more professionals close to where you live, and ramp up the training of new staff and mental health first aiders.”
The figures are from Public Health Scotland figures for the quarter ending June 2025. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times can be found here.Psychological Therapies waiting times can be found here.
The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of children, young people and adults should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS or psychological therapies.
126 children and young people who started their treatment between Apr and June 2025 had waited more than a year. A further 146 children and young people still waiting to start their treatment at quarter ending June 2025 had already waited more than a year. The total who waited, or are still waiting, more than a year is 272.
576 adults who started to receive psychological therapies between Apr and June 2025 had waited more than a year. A further 2,036 adults still waiting to start their treatment at quarter ending June 2025 had already waited more than a year. The total who waited, or are still waiting, more than a year is 2,612
The Child, adolescent and psychological therapy national dataset (CAPTND) which shows the number of referrals to CAMHS in quarter ending June 2025 can be found here.