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Motion · S6M-17229 · 16 Apr 2025

Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland Locum Psychiatry Survey – Report & Recommendations

Lodged by Gillian Mackay (Scottish Green Party) Standard Motion 31 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament welcomes the publication of two reports relating to locum psychiatry, the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland Locum Psychiatry Survey - Report & Recommendations from the perspective of psychiatrists and Your Views: Psychiatrists in Scotland, by VOX Scotland, from the perspective of lived experience; believes that Scotland’s psychiatrist workforce is not growing sufficiently to keep pace with the well-documented rising scale of demand for services, nor, it considers, is it growing in line with almost all other medical professions; notes that, according to the report Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland Locum Psychiatry Survey - Report & Recommendations, locum psychiatrists have been appointed to fill the gaps in workforce and that an average of one in four consultant psychiatry positions are estimated to be vacant or filled by a locum across Scotland; considers that, across the two reports, it is clear that the widespread appointment of locum psychiatrists is associated with issues relating to quality assurance, patient safety, satisfaction and continuity of care, transparency, morale and stress of permanent colleagues, and cost, and highlights what is sees as the importance of the recommendations across the two reports, which emphasise the need to improve continuity and quality of patient care by reducing the reliance on locums in Scottish psychiatry, increase the number of permanent psychiatrists by focussing on retention and addressing job plans and working conditions, implementing a standardised system of transparent psychiatrist job titles/roles, which reflects the training and qualification levels achieved, increase funding and support to implement the core mental health standards across Scotland’s mental health sector, and ensure that the gradual cessation of non-qualified locums is delivered.

Supporters (31)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.