Data obtained by a Scottish Labour Freedom of Information request also revealed that there were 77 unfilled doctor shifts. An Ayrshire MSP has since warned that NHS staff face burnout, and patients are at risk as a result of poor NHS workforce planning, in light of new figures on unfilled NHS shifts. In a report published earlier this year, the Royal College of Nursing Scotland warned that in the 12 months to May 2025 "at no point has NHS Scotland employed the number of nursing staff needed to deliver safe and effective care". "Our hardworking NHS staff will always do their best but they are let down by an SNP government that spends millions on expensive agency staff while leaving doctors and nurses without jobs and patients at risk. "The SNP Government is driving NHS staff to the point of burnout — it must deal with this workforce crisis.