Nursing shortages and evidence-based interventions: a case study from Scotland

In this report, key aspects of change in the labour market for nurses in Scotland are examined, and an integrated policy framework intended to improve nurse recruitment, retention and utilization is outlined. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the dynamics of the nursing labour market in Scotland and to draw some more general messages from the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions to improve recruitment and retention of nursing staff. The paper has three main elements: it provides a backdrop of key trends in the Scottish nursing labour market; it summarizes issues related to planning and nursing shortages, including an assessment of the utility of current indicators of recruitment and retention difficulties; and it reviews the main potential interventions to address nurse recruitment and retention difficulties, drawing from key research/evidence from UK and other English language sources. Five main interventions are examined: integrating the planning of the healthcare workforce; improving recruitment; incentives to improve retention; improving staff deployment; and improving utilization/skill mix.