Number of nursing vacancies reaches a new high
THE NUMBER of vacant nursing posts reached a new high of 34,260 last year, revealing a staffing “crisis”, it has been warned.
Some areas were only recruiting one nurse for every 400 jobs advertised, according to statistics from NHS Digital.
There were almost 88,000 vacancies across the NHS in England in the quarter to September, with 28,242 in September alone.
The Royal College of Nursing said seven out of ten nursing vacancies remained unfilled in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.
RCN regional director Glenn Turp said: “These figures are a glaring reminder that the NHS is desperately short of nurses.
“Record pressure, lack of funding and poor pay are actively discouraging the next generation of British nurses. The NHS has never been busier and is losing highly experienced and skilled nurses far quicker than it can find and train new ones.”
The RCN said the statistics revealed the number of vacant nursing and midwifery posts reached a new high of 34,260 in the three months to September, a rise of 2,600 on the previous quarter. The college said the data shows that the NHS filled one nurse job for every seven posts advertised.
The Thames Valley area, home to the Prime Minister’s constituency, hired only five nurses for almost 2,000 advertised posts, said the RCN. The NHS in North West London recruited 42 for 2,545 posts, less than one in 50, while the West Midlands NHS filled the greatest number of posts – hiring 1,196 for 2,817 roles advertised, said the RCN.
General secretary Janet Davies said: “The Government can no longer deny the staffing crisis. Earlier cuts to training places are exacerbating the problem just as long-serving staff feel demoralised and pushed to leave nursing.
“When the Government allows nursing on the cheap, patients can pay the highest price.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “There are now record numbers of hard-working NHS staff, and while these figures show vacancies are relatively stable compared to last year, we want to make sure we keep these staff in the NHS.”