Tories have called for more males to consider a career in nursing, claiming recruitment challenges in the sector could be addressed if Scots “man up”.

Health spokesman Miles Briggs made the plea after figures showed the number of male nurses had fallen for three consecutive years - with the number of men in the job having reached a seven-year low.

Numbers of male nursing staff increased between 2011 and 2014, when they reached a peak of 7,168.

But since then the total has dropped back, with NHS figures showing 6,924 men working in the role in 2017.

Mr Briggs said: “This is clearly a cultural problem, and probably one that exists in many parts of the world.

“But we can make efforts to change that now, to persuade males contemplating career options to man up and go into nursing.

“It would diversify the workforce, something that’s always worth doing, but more importantly help address the recruitment crisis now and in the future.”

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “We are leading the way on workforce planning – becoming the first nation in the UK to publish a national health and care workforce plan. A campaign to recruit a more diverse workforce, tackle stereotypical images, and attract more people into nursing and midwifery education and careers is currently being developed.”