Numbers of nurses and midwives leaving NHS highest for four years
More nurses leave NHS than at any time since Covid struck, many reporting stress as their main reason
More nurses leave NHS than at any time since Covid struck, many reporting stress as their main reason
The NHS in England has almost 40,000 nursing posts
and more than 8,000 posts for doctors unfilled.
Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
Denis Campbell
Denis Campbell
Health policy editor
THE GUARDIAN
Wed 18 May 2022
More than 27,000 nurses and midwives quit the NHS last year, with many blaming job pressures, the Covid pandemic and poor patient care for their decision.
The rise in staff leaving their posts across the UK – the first in four years – has prompted concern that frontline workers are under too much strain, especially with the NHS-wide shortage of nurses.
New figures show the NHS is also becoming more reliant on nurses and midwives trained overseas as domestic recruitment remains stubbornly low.
In a report on Wednesday, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) discloses that the numbers in both professions across the UK has risen to its highest level – 758,303.
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However, while 48,436 nurses and midwives joined its register, 27,133 stopped working last year – 25,219 nurses, 1,474 midwives and 304 who performed both roles. That was higher than the 23,934 who did so during 2020 after Covid struck, and 25,488 who left in 2019.
“With more than 500 nurses and midwives leaving every week, there’s no room for government complacency [about NHS staffing],” said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the union Unison.
Andrea Sutcliffe, the NMC’s chief executive, said that while the record number of nurses and midwives was good news, “a closer look at our data reveals some worrying signs”. She cited the large number of leavers and the fact that “those who left shared troubling stories about the pressure they’ve had to bear during the pandemic”.
The NMC asked 6,458 of those who quit last year for the three main reasons they had done so. Too much pressure (18.3%), negative workplace culture (13%), Covid (11.8%) and disillusion with the quality of care that patients receive (8.1%) emerged as key factors, although retirement (42.9%) and a change in personal circumstances (21.7%) were the two commonest reasons. “Too much pressure” was defined as staff feeling stressed and having poor mental health.
The NHS in England has almost 40,000 nursing posts and more than 8,000 posts for doctors unfilled. The supply of homegrown nurses has increased only slightly despite the government reinstating financial support worth up to £8,000 a year for trainee nurses.
Of the 48,436 staff who joined the NMC register, just under half – 23,408 (48%) – were from abroad, of whom 66% were trained in India or the Philippines. That is a huge increase on the 2,719 who came in 2017-18. James Buchan, a senior visiting fellow at the Health Foundation thinktank, said: “International recruitment is very much a short-term, quick-fix solution that may come at the expense of long-term workforce planning and domestic supply.”
Pat Cullen, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, raised concerns about the NHS taking nurses from low-income countries. “The UK’s health and care workforce is proudly diverse, but it [recruitment] must be done ethically,” she said.
Brexit has badly hit the NHS workforce, the NMC figures show. In 2015-16, before the June 2016 referendum on EU membership, 9,389 nurses and midwives came to work in the UK from the EU and European Economic Area. Last year just 663 did so, the lowest number for many years. Fewer than 1,000 have done so each year since 2017-18.
Sajid Javid, the health and social care secretary, welcomed the record numbers on the NMC register. “I’m determined to continue growing the workforce to help us tackle the Covid backlog and reduce waiting lists, and we are on track to deliver 50,000 more nurses by 2024, with over 30,000 more working in the NHS since September 2019,” he said.
More than 27,000 nurses and midwives quit the NHS last year, with many blaming job pressures, the Covid pandemic and poor patient care for their decision.
The rise in staff leaving their posts across the UK – the first in four years – has prompted concern that frontline workers are under too much strain, especially with the NHS-wide shortage of nurses.
New figures show the NHS is also becoming more reliant on nurses and midwives trained overseas as domestic recruitment remains stubbornly low.
In a report on Wednesday, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) discloses that the numbers in both professions across the UK has risen to its highest level – 758,303.
Advertisement
However, while 48,436 nurses and midwives joined its register, 27,133 stopped working last year – 25,219 nurses, 1,474 midwives and 304 who performed both roles. That was higher than the 23,934 who did so during 2020 after Covid struck, and 25,488 who left in 2019.
“With more than 500 nurses and midwives leaving every week, there’s no room for government complacency [about NHS staffing],” said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the union Unison.
Andrea Sutcliffe, the NMC’s chief executive, said that while the record number of nurses and midwives was good news, “a closer look at our data reveals some worrying signs”. She cited the large number of leavers and the fact that “those who left shared troubling stories about the pressure they’ve had to bear during the pandemic”.
The NMC asked 6,458 of those who quit last year for the three main reasons they had done so. Too much pressure (18.3%), negative workplace culture (13%), Covid (11.8%) and disillusion with the quality of care that patients receive (8.1%) emerged as key factors, although retirement (42.9%) and a change in personal circumstances (21.7%) were the two commonest reasons. “Too much pressure” was defined as staff feeling stressed and having poor mental health.
The NHS in England has almost 40,000 nursing posts and more than 8,000 posts for doctors unfilled. The supply of homegrown nurses has increased only slightly despite the government reinstating financial support worth up to £8,000 a year for trainee nurses.
Of the 48,436 staff who joined the NMC register, just under half – 23,408 (48%) – were from abroad, of whom 66% were trained in India or the Philippines. That is a huge increase on the 2,719 who came in 2017-18. James Buchan, a senior visiting fellow at the Health Foundation thinktank, said: “International recruitment is very much a short-term, quick-fix solution that may come at the expense of long-term workforce planning and domestic supply.”
Pat Cullen, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, raised concerns about the NHS taking nurses from low-income countries. “The UK’s health and care workforce is proudly diverse, but it [recruitment] must be done ethically,” she said.
Brexit has badly hit the NHS workforce, the NMC figures show. In 2015-16, before the June 2016 referendum on EU membership, 9,389 nurses and midwives came to work in the UK from the EU and European Economic Area. Last year just 663 did so, the lowest number for many years. Fewer than 1,000 have done so each year since 2017-18.
Sajid Javid, the health and social care secretary, welcomed the record numbers on the NMC register. “I’m determined to continue growing the workforce to help us tackle the Covid backlog and reduce waiting lists, and we are on track to deliver 50,000 more nurses by 2024, with over 30,000 more working in the NHS since September 2019,” he said.
NHS; Half of new nurses and midwives come from overseas
Ella Pickover
Wed, May 18, 2022,
New nursing figures released (PA) (PA Wire)
Concerns have been raised about the UK’s overreliance on overseas nurses and midwives after new figures suggest that a significant number of new workers come from abroad.
Almost half (48 per cent) of the 48,436 people who joined the nursing and midwifery workforce in the last year have come from different countries, with the vast majority (66 per cent) coming from India and the Philippines.
Leading nurses questioned how sustainable it is to “recruit half of all new nurses from around the world”.
It comes as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) released it annual figures on the numbers of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK.
While the figures suggest an overall increase in the number of staff – with some 758,300 now registered to work in Britain – concerns have been raised about the rising number of people leaving the register.
A total of 27,133 people left the NMC register in 2021/22 – 13 per cent more than the year before.
Among 6,500 nurses and midwives who responded to a “leavers’ survey” ,the top reasons for leaving were retirement, personal circumstances or “too much pressure”.
The report states that stress and poor mental health are factors in “many people’s decision to stop practising”.
Midwives were the most likely to cite this reason, closely followed by mental health nurses.
The figures also suggest one in five nurses and midwives (21 per cent) working in the UK are “of potential retirement age”.
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive and registrar at the NMC, said: “Our register is at the highest level ever. This is good news considering all the pressures of the last two years but a closer look at our data reveals some warning signs.
“The total number of people leaving the register has risen, after a steady and welcome fall over the previous four years.
“Another note of caution is that growth of the workforce has become more reliant on internationally trained professionals joining our register.
“These professionals make a welcome and vital contribution to our nation’s health and wellbeing. But we can’t take them for granted.
“Two years ago, we felt the pandemic’s impact on global travel; the number of international joiners to our register fell sharply. A future pandemic or other global disruption could see history repeat itself, but with an even bigger impact on the overall growth of the register.
“We also need to make sure that we are supporting, valuing and rewarding our internationally trained joiners so their careers can thrive in the UK.”
Commenting on the figures, Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The loss of 25,000 registered nurses last year is being felt profoundly by both patients and nurses alike.
“When we have tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs, a sharp rise in leavers should not be overlooked while we welcome new recruits.
“Ministers should avoid overclaiming today – nursing staff tell us these shortages are biting more than ever.
“We again question how sustainable it is to recruit half of all new nurses from around the world. The UK’s health and care workforce is proudly diverse, but it must be done ethically and come at the same time as increased investment in education and domestic workers.
“In the interests of safe patient care, ministers across the UK must act decisively to retain today’s experienced nurses and inspire tomorrow’s.”
Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, added: “We are already 2,000 midwives short in England, yet the number in the NHS continues to fall while demands on maternity services grow.
“Other UK countries are also facing pressures.
“This is not sustainable and is without doubt having an impact on the safety and quality of care for women, babies and their families.
“It is also putting massive and unreasonable pressures on NHS midwives and maternity support workers – already battered by the pandemic – and many are starting to vote with their feet and leave the NHS.”
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, added: “It is concerning to see a rise in the number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates leaving the register, reversing the trend of recent years.
“Workforce shortages across the NHS, with more than 110,000 vacancies, are a huge risk to patient safety by impacting the quality of care that overstretched staff can provide – ‘too much pressure’ is the third most common reason cited by leavers.”
Ella Pickover
Wed, May 18, 2022,
New nursing figures released (PA) (PA Wire)
Concerns have been raised about the UK’s overreliance on overseas nurses and midwives after new figures suggest that a significant number of new workers come from abroad.
Almost half (48 per cent) of the 48,436 people who joined the nursing and midwifery workforce in the last year have come from different countries, with the vast majority (66 per cent) coming from India and the Philippines.
Leading nurses questioned how sustainable it is to “recruit half of all new nurses from around the world”.
It comes as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) released it annual figures on the numbers of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK.
While the figures suggest an overall increase in the number of staff – with some 758,300 now registered to work in Britain – concerns have been raised about the rising number of people leaving the register.
A total of 27,133 people left the NMC register in 2021/22 – 13 per cent more than the year before.
Among 6,500 nurses and midwives who responded to a “leavers’ survey” ,the top reasons for leaving were retirement, personal circumstances or “too much pressure”.
The report states that stress and poor mental health are factors in “many people’s decision to stop practising”.
Midwives were the most likely to cite this reason, closely followed by mental health nurses.
The figures also suggest one in five nurses and midwives (21 per cent) working in the UK are “of potential retirement age”.
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive and registrar at the NMC, said: “Our register is at the highest level ever. This is good news considering all the pressures of the last two years but a closer look at our data reveals some warning signs.
“The total number of people leaving the register has risen, after a steady and welcome fall over the previous four years.
“Another note of caution is that growth of the workforce has become more reliant on internationally trained professionals joining our register.
“These professionals make a welcome and vital contribution to our nation’s health and wellbeing. But we can’t take them for granted.
“Two years ago, we felt the pandemic’s impact on global travel; the number of international joiners to our register fell sharply. A future pandemic or other global disruption could see history repeat itself, but with an even bigger impact on the overall growth of the register.
“We also need to make sure that we are supporting, valuing and rewarding our internationally trained joiners so their careers can thrive in the UK.”
Commenting on the figures, Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The loss of 25,000 registered nurses last year is being felt profoundly by both patients and nurses alike.
“When we have tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs, a sharp rise in leavers should not be overlooked while we welcome new recruits.
“Ministers should avoid overclaiming today – nursing staff tell us these shortages are biting more than ever.
“We again question how sustainable it is to recruit half of all new nurses from around the world. The UK’s health and care workforce is proudly diverse, but it must be done ethically and come at the same time as increased investment in education and domestic workers.
“In the interests of safe patient care, ministers across the UK must act decisively to retain today’s experienced nurses and inspire tomorrow’s.”
Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, added: “We are already 2,000 midwives short in England, yet the number in the NHS continues to fall while demands on maternity services grow.
“Other UK countries are also facing pressures.
“This is not sustainable and is without doubt having an impact on the safety and quality of care for women, babies and their families.
“It is also putting massive and unreasonable pressures on NHS midwives and maternity support workers – already battered by the pandemic – and many are starting to vote with their feet and leave the NHS.”
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, added: “It is concerning to see a rise in the number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates leaving the register, reversing the trend of recent years.
“Workforce shortages across the NHS, with more than 110,000 vacancies, are a huge risk to patient safety by impacting the quality of care that overstretched staff can provide – ‘too much pressure’ is the third most common reason cited by leavers.”
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