SCOTLAND'S nurses are stretched to "breaking point" because of a record number of staff vacancies, nursing leaders have warned the SNP ministers.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) hit out as official figures revealed more than one in 20 nursing and midwifery posts are vacant - the highest ever level.
Launching a campaign urging the Scottish Government to tackle the crisis, the body called for the public to "make their voices heard loud and clear" that they expect better care.
BMA Scotland also attacked a surge in the number of consultant vacancies, declaring the Nationalist administration's approach to filling them was "simply not credible."
The NHS's Information Statistics Division figures showed that as as of June 30 266 consultant posts were lying vacant for six months or more, an annual increase of 18 per cent.
A record number of allied health professional posts were empty, at 4.8 per cent. The number of physiotherapist and occupational therapist vacancies has also reached a record of almost 600.
It also emerged that child mental health waiting times are the worst ever, while the number of operations cancelled for capacity or non-clinical reasons has risen by more than a third.
The dire picture came as Nicola Sturgeon unveiled her programme for government, with opposition MSPs highlighting cuts to nurse training places implemented by Nicola Sturgeon in 2012, when she was Health Secretary.
But it’s not just our NHS hospital and community teams which are stretched to breaking point, those working in care homes, are under the same pressure
RCN Scotland director Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said: "Today’s figures show the magnitude of the staffing shortage in nursing teams across Scotland’s NHS.
"But it’s not just our NHS hospital and community teams which are stretched to breaking point, those working in care homes, are under the same pressure."
Launching the "Ask for more" campaign, Ms Fyffe appealed to the public for help pressurising MSPs and ministers.
She argued that the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill, which has been introduced at Holyrood, was an "opportunity to secure change".
Simon Barker, chair of BMA Scotland's consultants committee, said the sharp increase in consultant vacancies was "deeply troubling" and showed health boards were struggling to recruit.
He added: "Consultants in Scotland have been handed real-terms pay cuts year after year and have once again been singled out in the Scottish Government’s most recent pay decision.
"It is simply not credible to continually erode the income of consultants in Scotland and then express surprise when posts are lying empty month after month and consultants leave their life’s work early in despair."
The data showed 3,311.2 WTE (Working Time Equivalent) nursing and midwifery posts were unfilled in our health service as of 30 June this year, up 5.2 per cent on the same time last year.
Meanwhile, a record low of just 67.8 per children sent for mental health treatment were seen within the SNP's 18-week target.
Scottish Labour's health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: "The SNP government cannot blame the current situation on Brexit, it is a staffing crisis made in Scotland by the SNP."
Miles Briggs, his Scottish Conservative counterpart, said: "The scale of vacancies across that area is a direct consequence of the SNP government’s sheer negligence on workforce planning."
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman highlighted the six consecutive years of growth in workforce numbers and a recent patient satisfaction which showed 86 per cent rated their experience positively.
She said: "Under this government the number of whole time equivalent (WTE) qualified nurses and midwives has increased by 5.7% and the number of WTE consultants has risen by 48.3 per cent over the same period.
"Through our recently introduced draft legislation for health boards and care providers to have appropriate staffing in place, and our on-going investment in the NHS, we will ensure that patients will continue to receive safe, high quality care."
Hurricane Lane: Floods submerge Big Island – power cuts as Lane strikes | Weather | News | Express.co.uk
HAWAII’s Big Island has been battered by Hurricane Lane, with more than two foot of rain having fallen so far, causing flash floods and numerous road closures - while numerous trees felled on Oahu, the archipelago’s most populous island and location of state capital Honolulu, which is likely to sustain more damage in the next 24 hours.
Hurricane warnings are currently in effect for Oahu, as well as Maui County, which includes the islands of Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPNC).
Big Island is still subject to a tropical storm warning, while a Hurricane watch is still in force for Kauai County, which includes the islands of Kauai and Niihau.
As of 4pm BST, Lane was moving north at about 7mph, and was 145 miles west-north-west of Kailua-Kona in the west of Big Island, with sustained winds of 110 miles per hour.
The slow speed at which Lane is moving means dangerous heavy rains and flooding may persist “for a period of time” on Big Island, the CPNC warned.
Lane has now been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, with some additional weakening likely overnight - but that will be scant consolation to any islanders who have already felt its power.
On Maui, where winds could reach 70mph by tomorrow morning, preparations have been hampered by a brush fire which has prompted authorities to move the location of a storm shelter, with evacuations underway.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has brought generators to areas where they are amy be needed to make sure the water system can be quickly restarted.
Mr Finlay said: “Fire officials have reported that the fire has jumped Honoapiilani Highway near Dickerson Street and is approaching Aloha Gas Station. Motorists should avoid this area.”
He said: "There's lots and lots of rain, torrential rain, with a lot of moisture in the atmosphere."
The National Weather Service has warned that storm surges could raise water levels 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 metres) above normal along the western shores of the Big Island and that extreme rainfall could mean numerous evacuations and rescues.
There have been no reports of injuries on any of the Hawaiian Islands so far, but flash floods and landslides have made some roads impassable.
On Big Island, stretches of Highway 19, Saddle Road and Highway 270 are currently closed to traffic.
Hawaii Governor David Ige tweeted yesterday: "Life threatening flash floods. This is a very dangerous situation. Avoid unnecessary travel.”
The Coast Guard had ordered all harbours to close to incoming vessels and the Navy moved most of its fleet out of Pearl Harbor, where ships could provide aid after the storm.
Hurricanes rarely make landfall in Hawaii, despite the fact that it is in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
The most powerful storm in recorded history, Category 4 Hurricane Iniki, lashed Kauai in September 1992, killed six people and damaging or destroying more than 14,000 homes.
TODAY, Google celebrates Gerda Taro, one of the world first and greatest war photographers. So who was Gerda Taro?
At 19, just before the beginning of Nazi Germany, Gerda and her family moved to Leipzig, a large German city.
She was firmly opposed to the government’s increasingly radical politics and was arrested and detained in 1933 for distributing anti-national socialist propaganda.
Eventually, her entire family was forced to leave Germany as they were Jewish. Fleeing in different directions, Gerda never saw them again.
But in 1934, Gerda found herself in an entirely different world in Paris, where she met the photojournalist Endre Friedmann who taught her photography.
Just two years later, in 1936, Gerda received her first photojournalist credential and she and Friedman devised a plan to sell their work.
Garda proposed the pair would publish under the name Robert Capa, who they imagined as an American photographer.
The secret didn’t last long but Friedmann continued to use the alias Robert Capa, and went on to found picture giant Magnum Photos.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out, Gerda and Friedman travelled to Barcelona to cover the events.
Publishing under Robert Capa, they were incredibly successful, selling their work to many important publications at the time.
Their war photographs are distinguishable as Gerda used a Rollei camera, which rendered squared photographs, while Friedman produced rectangular Leica images.
She refused Friedmann's marriage proposal and became associated with anti-fascist European intellectuals such as Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.
Her coverage of the war was regarded as incredibly valuable in testimony to the true situation in the region, as political parties' attempts to claim they held certain parts of the country.
She had ignored warnings from Friedmann and other to stay away from the front line at one of the most dangerous moments of the war.
Having used up all her film, she hopped up on the back of a car carrying wounded soldiers to get a ride back to her supplies.
An out-of-control tank crashed into the car, wounding Gerda gravely. She died the following day at the age of 26.
The circumstances of her death were questioned, with some claiming she had been murdered as she has become known as an anti-fascist figure.
On 1 August 1937, on what would have been her 27th birthday, the French Communist Party gave her a grand funeral in Paris.
She was buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery and the party commissioned Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti to create a monument for her grave.
Earlier this year, 80 years after her death, a picture surfaced, thought to be of Gerda on her deathbed.
The photograph was published on Twitter by John Kiszely, a retired British lieutenant general, whose Hungarian father, Dr Janos Kiszely, was a volunteer doctor.
This year’s Walsall beer festival still went ahead over three days – despite it almost being cancelled just days before.
Barman Michael Burt and licensee Kim Langford of The Black Country Arms, Walsall, celebrate saving Walsall Beer Festival, after the pub stepped in at the last minute to host the event
Beer lovers descended on The Black Country Arms, High Street on Friday, Saturday and Sunday after the venue for the festival was changed at the last minute.
Reasons beyond organisers control meant plans for it to take place at the original venue at MPV on Whittmere Street were axed – but The Black Country Arms stepped in to save the day. The pub hosted a smaller version of the festival, now in its 35th year.
Beers were also available at The Wheatsheaf on the Birmingham Road, The Victoria in Lower Rushall Street, The Fountain in Lower Forster Street, The Drunken Duck in High Street and The White Lion on Sandwell Street.
Group chairman John Morgan was not able to elaborate on the reasons for the move beforehand only to say it was down to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
Attendee John Green was especially grateful the event went ahead. He has previously commented on the event social media page that he was travelling from Malaysia just to attend the festival, saying he was ‘gutted’ when it was initially announced it had been cancelled.
Amadou Bakayoko's third penalty in two games saw Walsall earn a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City in an entertaining friendly.
In front of 3,301 fans at the Bank's Stadium, Jon Whitney's men were more than a match for their Championship opponents.
Bakayoko opened the scoring in the second half after new signing Erhun Oztumer had been hauled down in the box by Paul Caddis.
But the Blues defender went on to make up for his error, curling home a free-kick with 10-minutes remaining to ensure the spoils were shared.
Birmingham, who were watched by boss Gary Rowett, included a mixture of first team and youth players in their side with the Blues also playing a friendly with Shrewsbury the same evening.
Amongst the notable regulars were defender Michael Morrison, midfielder Stephen Gleeson and striker Clayton Donaldson.
For Whitney's Walsall, there was a first start for Isaiah Osbourne – now a trialist ­– after the midfielder signed last year but failed to make an appearance following a knee ligament injury.
In glorious sunshine, both teams enjoyed a bright opening 20 minutes with the Saddlers in particular passing the ball around well.
It was Birmingham though who created the game's first chances with Reece Brown curling over from 25-yards and then Craig MacGillivray expertly dealing with a fierce Viv Solomon-Otabor free-kick from wide on the left.
And they registered their first shot on target with 10 minutes of the half remaining. Amadou Bakayoko and Kieron Morris linked up well before the winger stung the palms of Tomasz Kuszczak.
The rest of opening 45 minutes past with little incident with the Saddlers having comfortably held their own against their Championship opponents.
Walsall made a change at the break at with Maz Kouhyar replacing Cuvelier. It was Blues though almost opened the scoring inside 60 seconds.
Donaldson did well to control a hopeful ball into the box with the striker then nipping past a defender before powerfully firing a half-volley over.
Moments later, Whitney's men found themselves ahead following a bizarre piece of defending from Birmingham's Paul Caddis.
The former Swindon man received the ball in the box and looked destined to clear but instead allowed the ball to roll across his body, letting Oztumer nip in.
But before the creative schemer got to the ball he was hauled down by the defender - with Bakayoko then calmly slotting home from the spot.
Callum Cockerill-Mollett, Kory Roberts, Cameron Peters and Sam Tonks were then introduced with Whitney having made 10 changes to his side – with only keeper MacGillivray remaining.
With Walsall now effectively playing their youth team, Birmingham pulled level in the 80th minute when Caddis made up for his earlier error by curling in a free-kick from inside the 'D'.
The visitors went in search of a winner but Walsall's inexperienced youngsters held firm to keep them at bay.