Scotland’s National Health Service and social care sector is nothing without the people who work in it.
For far too long, however, the commitment and sacrifice they make day in and day out has been taken for granted by this Scottish Government.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, our health and social care sectors were struggling. Nurses and doctors repeatedly warned about the under-resourcing of the health service and the high risk of staff burnout, whilst social care workers were stretched to breaking point.
Additionally, years of devastating cuts in local councils across Scotland, alongside the impact of Covid-19, have led to social care workers being under-appreciated with little or no support.
This SNP Government has had 15 years to show our workforce how much it matters, but it has failed time and time again to deliver.
As the party who proudly established the NHS, Scottish Labour presents this charter – Valuing the Health and Social Care Workforce – which declares our promises to staff.