Inverness Sunset. Adam Court / Flickr.Scotland, Highlands (September 6, 2017) Recruitment company, HIJOBS report that Inverness led the number of NHS roles being offered in Scotland in 2017. The cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands had 236% more roles listed than in the capital city Edinburgh.
“A lot of these tend to be nursing and social care roles, and we are seeing a trend towards an aging workforce. In 2017, we received 47% more inquiries via candidates aged 45 – 65 than from those aged 25 – 45, for NHS roles in Inverness, says HIJOBS founder, Laura Saunders.
“The slow pace of life in Inverness attracts candidates who are looking to escape city life but also want take on meaningful roles that help the community around them.”
According to the Royal College of Nursing, Scotland currently offers the best pay scale for NHS nursing staff in Great Britain. People with nursing qualifications will find themselves in band 5 (staff nurse) or band 6 (charge nurse) and will receive around 1% more than workers in England. Typically, the cost of living in Inverness is considerably cheaper than cities such as London, where rent prices are 223% higher than in Inverness.
In 2016, the Office of National Statistics reported that the hourly pay for human health and social work stood at £12.93, above the Scottish average and 21% higher than in primary industries such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing.
The Highlands, home to NHS Highland, the largest health board in Scotland, services around 320,000 people and over the past few years, has been undergoing a major transformation of health and care services. Rural areas often limit transport and communication infrastructures tend to be poor as opposed to major cities. However, the NHS in Inverness is showing incredible growth in being able to provide the adequate support and care for residents living in Inverness and its surrounding communities