The Rheumatology Workforce a Crisis in Numbers

That the Parliament acknowledges the findings of the British Society for Rheumatology’s latest report, which suggests that the NHS rheumatology workforce is in crisis and severely understaffed and that, in some areas, up to a third of consultant posts are vacant; believes that workforce shortages and vacancies lead to unacceptable caseloads, long waiting times and delays in care for the millions of people with conditions such as arthritis; considers that rheumatology career pathways must address the reported current shortages; believes that enhancing and upskilling the current multi-disciplinary teams' roles would allow staff to extend their scope of practice in departments and meet increasing service demands; commends the contribution of rheumatology departments; believes that they are working hard to bring down diagnostic backlogs, and calls on the Scottish Government to invest in the current rheumatology workforce numbers and boost training places to meet forecast demand.