‘More nurses leaving profession than joining’
MORE nurses and midwives are leaving the two professions than joining them, further adding to the UK’s NHS workforce “crisis”, it has been revealed.
Figures published today by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) show that the number of people on their register dropped by 1,783 between March 2016 and March 2017.
The numbers joining the register have slowed down, resulting in an overall reduction in the numbers of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK.
While attention has recently been focused on the reducing numbers of EU nurses and midwives applying to work in the UK, the figures published today show that it is mainly UK nurses and midwives who are leaving the register.
Jackie Smith, NMC chief executive and registrar, said: “Our figures today show for the first time that there are now more nurses and midwives leaving the register than joining it.
“At a time of increased pressure on the healthcare workforce to deliver quality patient care, we hope our data will provide evidence to support government and employers to look in detail at how they can reverse this trend.”
Between 2016 and 2017, 20% more people left the register than joined it, the first time this has happened in recent history.
The data has also revealed that the numbers of nurses and midwives leaving the register before retirement age appears to be increasing.
Excluding those who retire, the average age of the rest of those leaving the register has reduced steadily over time from an average of 55 years old in 2013 to 51 in 2017.
The data shows that rates of leaving are increasing across all age groups below 60 years of age. This is particularly noticeable for those aged under 40.
Jackie Smith continued: “Nursing and midwifery are widely acknowledged to be ageing professions, with significant numbers on the register coming up to retirement age.
“While there’s no denying this is true, our figures show that people below retirement age are leaving in increasing numbers.”
The NMC has also seen an increase in the numbers of verification requests made about UK nurses.
Verification requests are made by licensing authorities – often the equivalent of the NMC in different countries – when a nurse or midwife wants to practise outside the UK.
Verification requests are an important indicator of the numbers of nurses and midwives who have left or may intend to leave the UK to work in a different country.
UK registrants accounted for 69% of all verification requests in 2013 and rose to 75% of all requests made in 2017.
Most requests come from licensing authorities in Australia, the USA and the Republic of Ireland.
There were 3,562 verification requests made in 2013 and 4,153 made in 2017 for UK registrants. There appears to be a correlation between the rise in verification requests and the decrease in the NMC register.
Earlier this month, the NMC conducted a survey of more than 4,500 nurses and midwives who left the register over the previous 12 months to gauge their reasons for leaving.
The top three reasons cited, excluding retirement, were working conditions, (including issues such as staffing levels), a change in personal circumstances (such as ill health or caring responsibilities), and a disillusionment with the quality of care provided to patients.
Other reasons given included poor pay and benefits and difficulty in meeting the revalidation requirements – often linked to no longer practising for the required number of hours.
The overall reduction in nursing numbers is most noticeable in England as the majority of registrants are based there; however, there is some evidence that the other UK countries are showing similar patterns.
The Welsh Government launched a recruitment campaign in May promoting Wales as a “fantastic” country for nurses to train, work and live.
It coincided with an announcement by Health Secretary Vaughan Gething that NHS bursaries for eligible student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will continue to be available in Wales in 2018-19.
Welsh Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has also called for a 1% cap on public sector pay increases to be scrapped.
But a vote to end the pay cap was defeated by a majority of just 14 in the House of Commons last week.