Almost 40,000 days of nurse and midwife time lost due to mental ill health

Almost 40,000 days of staff time for nurses and midwives have been lost across NHS Highland over the last five years due to a growing mental health crisis, the Highland Liberal Democrats have said.

David Green, the party’s candidate at the Holyrood election for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, has warned “nurses and midwives are being pushed beyond reasonable limits” and is calling for action to combat the pressures they face.

The staggering toll, revealed by Highland Liberal Democrats through freedom of information requests, works out at over 107 years for the frontline staff who are central to providing the care people need.

The numbers have spiked in recent years. 11,501 days were lost for nurses across NHS Highland in 2024/2025, a 168.5% increase from 4,282 days in 2020/2021. Midwives saw a 21.6% spike over the same period, an increase from 564 days to 719.

An increasing number of experts have warned about rising stress due to workload issues. A Royal College of Nursing Scotland report published this year explained: “excessive workloads, low staffing levels, the impact of staff not getting breaks and heightened pressures all have consequences for the health and wellbeing of nursing staff.”

David Green, the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said:

“With increasing levels of staff absences due to mental ill-health, nurses and midwives are being pushed beyond reasonable limits.

“While they work incredibly hard, an increasing workload is causing real problems with stress and having a serious knock on impact with both retention and recruitment. That isn’t good for them or their patients.

“The Scottish Government must wrestle with burnout and why their recovery plan isn’t working. We need to put the experience and expertise of those who know our NHS services best at the heart of planning.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, said:

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have been raising concerns for years now about the stress and pressure that NHS staff are under.

“We believe Scotland deserves better than this. SNP health secretaries have come and gone but on their watch the situation is simply getting better. Mental health is still treated like a second class service.

“I want staff and patients to know that my party is on their side and we have a realistic plan to get things done. We want to deliver first-rate health care and an end to staff being run ragged on every shift so you can see your GP, dentist or mental health professional when you need them.

“The coming election is an opportunity for change with fairness at its heart and with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.”

ENDS.