New legislation to ensure safe staffing in the NHS has been published by the Scottish Government.

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill, will mean that NHS boards, and care services, are legally required to have appropriate numbers of trained staff in place.

The bill is intended to help health and care services in their workload planning.

Health secretary, Shona Robison, said: "We know there is a clear link between effective and sustainable staffing levels and high-quality care.

"NHS staffing has increased to a record high under this government, but it's vital we have the right staff in the right place, with the right skills, long into the future.

"This legislation will work in practice by ensuring staffing decisions take account of the needs of service users and staff, and are supported by available evidence.

"It will also promote openness and transparency about the basis of staffing decisions."

BMA Scotland chair, Dr Peter Bennie, said the move was "an important step".

Bennie continued: "With a system that is under severe pressure, and doctors and their colleagues stretched to their limits, it has never been more important to have the right mechanisms in place to ensure that staffing levels are safe.

"However, there must also be an acceptance that this bill does nothing to tackle the core issues of recruitment and retention that are such a problem for NHS boards.

"Simply legislating for the right numbers of staff does not mean that more doctors will suddenly appear or vacancies will be easier to cover.

"That is why, combined with this bill, we need more concerted and focused action to recruit new doctors to Scotland, retain those we have and ensure that practising medicine in Scotland is an attractive, effectively rewarded career choice."