'Ticking time bomb' – here's how many NHS staff actually want to quit
More than three quarters of NHS workers are seriously considering leaving their jobs amid the ongoing strain on the health service.
According to research from the worker-led network Organise – which surveyed 2,546 NHS staff in March – 78.5% are thinking about packing it all in.
Only a fifth (21.5%) said they had no plan to give up their NHS job any time soon.
And the survey shows this sentiment is shared across a range of professions within the health service – with nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedics, doctors, health visitors and more all struggling with their jobs right now.
This comes after years of public concerns about the longevity of the health service, amid funding cuts, staff shortages and burnout – not to mention the additional strain from the Covid pandemic.
The findings also show that in the last three years:
- 79% of respondents experienced stress
- 62% reported anxiety
- 55% reported burnout.
More than half (55%) of respondents said they needed to take time off from their jobs as a result, with a quarter saying this meant a month or more away from work.
Source: Huffington Post, 29 March 2023