• GHA nursing workforce grows by 193 since 2011
• Surgical cancellations halved compared to previous years
• GHA workforce plan driven by data NOT gossip

His Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar wishes to clarify the facts surrounding staffing levels and elective surgery cancellations within the Gibraltar Health Authority.

The Minister for Health and Care has on numerous occasions outlined the policy with regard to the workforce. This was outlined in Parliament during Oral Questions, in her Budget Speech, and again during the Committee Stage of the Appropriation Bill. It is a shame the GSD and Ms Ladislaus continue to issue statements saying there are shortages when the numbers have been presented to her on numerous occasions. Either the GSD do not agree with the Government’s policy of employing locals in the GHA wherever possible, or they simply choose to ignore the explanations given by Minister Arias-Vasquez as it does not fit their narrative.

It is the policy of the Government to prioritise the employment of Gibraltarians within the GHA. This is why the Government has invested in the University of Gibraltar’s nursing programme, which provides a direct pipeline into the local workforce. Gibraltarian students typically complete their qualifications in the summer and are ready to enter the GHA in September. Vacancies are therefore held to allow their integration, with interim coverage provided by agency and locum staff. This model ensures continuity of care while supporting long-term workforce resilience.

Additionally, the GHA’s ability to develop and implement health policy is now underpinned by the appointment of a Principal Information Analyst/Statistician. This role is vital in ensuring that decisions are driven by accurate, real-time data. Sound planning depends on facts, not assumptions. The Government works with verifiable data, not hearsay. We urge the GSD to do the same and not simply to rely on gossip.

In this context, the Government strongly rejects the GSD’s suggestion that there is “spin” around cancellation data. The statement made by the Minister for Health and Care regarding the reduction in elective surgery cancellations is not spin, it is fact. Cancellation rates have halved compared to previous years, and this is due to strategic investments by this Government in the TSSU, Omnicell, improved planning and clinical coordination. This statistical information has been provided to the Minister by the Principal Information Analyst at the GHA.

There is no “Government spin” in reporting improvements in service delivery. Minister Arias-Vasquez is happy to meet with Ms Ladislaus, alongside the Principal Information Analyst, to go through the data in full so that she can see for herself that the figures being shared are accurate. 

In relation to nursing levels, the facts are clear and speak for themselves. In 2011/2012, the last year the GSD were in Government, the GHA employed 389.5 nurses, with no supernumerary staff. As of this financial year, the GHA employs 544.5 nurses, plus an additional 38 supernumerary nurses, bringing the total to 582.5, an increase of 193. These figures do not include agency or bank nurses, who continue to provide support where needed. This information was already provided to Ms Ladislaus, and the Opposition more widely, during Minister Arias-Vasquez’s budget speech last month.

To further illustrate this point, the Government spent over £10 million last year on temporary agency and bank staff to ensure full-service continuity and cover for any vacancies. This level of expenditure confirms that all posts are being actively filled, either on a permanent or interim basis. As Ms Ladislaus is aware, certain specialist posts can be more difficult to fill due to worldwide shortages of these staff, but we proactively try and fill all posts.

While it is true that services have expanded over the past 14 years, and rightly so, the scale of the increase in nursing staff significantly outpaces that growth. The suggestion by the GSD that there has been no action to build capacity is therefore both inaccurate and misleading.

While acknowledging the continued pressures on health and care staff, a reality faced by healthcare systems across the world, the Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, remains focused on addressing those challenges through continued reform and modernisation of the GHA.

The Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez MP, said: “There is no ‘spin’ when I say that surgical cancellations have halved. That is a fact which is verifiable. There is also no credibility to the suggestion that the GHA is dangerously understaffed when we have increased the nursing complement by 193 since the GSD left office, a 50% increase. As I have repeated at almost every available opportunity, all clinical positions requested by the GHA during the budget preparation have been accepted by the Government and the GHA fills any vacancies with locum/agency nurses. There can, therefore, be no understaffing in the GHA. Where there is a vacancy, there is a policy reason behind it, which have also been explained. I am comfortable in taking Ms Ladislaus through everything as it is a well thought through policy, not to be used to make mischief.

“The Government spent more than £10 million last year on agency and locum cover to ensure that no post remained unfilled. That is not the behaviour of a Government ignoring staffing needs, it is clear and measurable evidence of a system that works and of a system designed to ensure Gibraltarians get jobs within our health service.

“What we should be doing, and what I have made genuine efforts to do on numerous occasions, is work together on matters as important as healthcare. We should not waste time arguing over facts which are indisputable. The public expects seriousness and delivery, not political point scoring. My focus remains on working constructively, delivering reform, and supporting the professionals at the GHA who care for our community every single day.”