The Scottish government said that NHS Scotland’s workforce is at a record high of more than 140,000 whole time equivalent (WTE) staff.

The number of doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, and support staff working across Scotland’s hospitals and in communities increased by almost 1,000 in the past year.

NHS Scotland employed more than 44,000 qualified nurses and midwives as of December 31, 2017, an increase of 7.6% since September 2006.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “Under this Government, staffing in Scotland’s NHS has risen to record highs, and we’ve seen a particular increase in the number of qualified nurses and midwives delivering care for Scots up and down the country.

“We will deliver an additional 2,600 extra nursing and midwifery training places by 2021 and these extra staff will ensure people all across Scotland get the high-quality NHS services that they rightly expect.

“With demand on our NHS rising we’re committed to both record investment in our health service and ensuring that new safe staffing legislation is introduced to help deliver the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place, long into the future.”