The Scottish Government declined an invitation to rule out fines for hospital bosses who fail to have enough nurses on wards.
Nicola Sturgeon will set out plans on Monday at the Royal College of Nursing congress to enshrine minimum staffing levels in legislation.
Asked by The Courier if hospitals risked fines for not having enough staff, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We do not agree with a fines-based model.
“The aim of enshrining safe staffing levels in law is to build on our already world leading commitment to patient safety and ensure quality of care at all times.”
Meanwhile, nurses are expected to speak out against the lack of progress in closing health inequalities in Scotland at the congress.
An RCN survey found that more than four in ten nurses reported that malnutrition or food poverty has affected the health of their patients.
