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Numbers of nurses and midwives leaving NHS highest for four years

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.

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.

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”.

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Source: The Guardian, 18 May 2022

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Numbers leaving A&E without treatment triples in six years

The number of people in England walking out of A&E without treatment has tripled in the past six years, new figures show.

Analysis of NHS data by the Royal College of Nursing shows soaring demand for urgent hospital care and long waits has led to what it describes as a “shocking” rise in the number of patients leaving emergency departments untreated.

Between July and September 2025, more than 320,000 people left A&E without being treated – a more than threefold increase from the same period in 2019, when just under 100,000 people walked out untreated.

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Source: Guardian, 3 November 2025

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Number unable to get a hospital appointment after GP referral up 50% in two years

The number of patients unable to get a hospital appointment after being referred by their GP is up more than 50% in two years amid the record NHS backlog, official data show.

NHS Digital figures show no appointments were immediately available for 2.3 million referrals made in the first six months of this year – up 51% on the same period in 2020.

Appointment slot issues occur when a patient is referred by their GP through the NHS e-Referral Service but no appointment is available to book. 

The referral is then forwarded or deferred to a patient’s chosen provider, but if an appointment is not made within 180 days it will automatically be removed from the system, according to NHS Digital.

Patient safety campaigners have said the scale of the problem must be “urgently investigated” by NHS England to ensure the safety of patients is not being compromised while they wait for appointments.

Helen Hughes, the chief executive of the Patient Safety Learning charity, said: “We have significant concerns about the safety of patients who are facing increasingly long waits for treatment, particularly those on high priority cancer pathways and urgent referrals.”

She said patients needed to be assured that they will “not be lost in a failing, complex system”, adding: “We believe that NHS England needs to urgently investigate, quantify the scale of the problem and take action if we are to prevent these capacity and system issues resulting in avoidable harm for patients.”

Some GPs told Patient Safety Learning they had experienced difficulties getting referrals accepted. One GP, based in the North East, said: “There is an ever-creeping transfer of management of complex conditions from secondary to primary care, without adequate training or resources to manage this safely.”

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Source: The Telegraph, 7 August 2022

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Number of women being seen for urgent NHS breast cancer referrals hits record new low

Less than half of women are being seen following an urgent breast cancer referral, as NHS performance drops to a new low.

‘Alarming’ new NHS figures have shown just 47% of women in England referred “urgently” for breast cancer symptoms were seen by a specialist within two weeks.

For women without symptoms but referred urgently to see a specialist, just 49% were seen within two weeks. In both cases this is the first time since records began that less than 50% cent of women were seen.

Within some trusts less than 10% of women referred with symptoms were seen within two weeks, with less than two per cent of women referred to United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust being seen within this time frame in January.

Wes Streeting, Labour shadow health secretary said: “I know from experience the importance of an early cancer diagnosis and quick treatment. It is appalling that most suspected breast cancer patients are left waiting so long before being seen, with the insecurity of not knowing."

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “It’s alarming that in January, for the first time, less than half of women 47.5 per cent in England who were urgently referred with potential breast cancer symptoms, were seen by a specialist within two weeks."

“...the government must consider what immediate steps it can take to reverse this rapid decline. Agonising delays must be replaced with prompt diagnoses for all women – and the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed the greater the chance of treatment being successful.”

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Source: The Independent, 11 March 2022

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Number of self-harm incidents in prisons reaches record high

Levels of self-harm in prisons have hit a new high, with more than 60,000 incidents in a year, official figures show.

The number of self-harm incidents was up 16% to 61,461 in the 12 months to September 2019, when there were 53,076, according to data released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Prison reform campaigners have criticised the government for failing to respond effectively to serious mental health problems and called Thursday’s figures a “national scandal”.

Deborah Coles, the Director of the charity Inquest, said: “Despite investment and scrutiny, the historical context shows that still more people are dying in prison than ever before. A slight recent reduction in the number of deaths comes alongside unprecedented levels of self-harm, while repeated recommendations of coroners, the prison ombudsman and inspectorate are systematically ignored."

"This is a national scandal and reflects the despair and neglect in prisons. Despite this, the health and safety of people in prison appears to be very low on the agenda of the new government."

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Source: 30 January 2020

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Number of positive isolating pupils unknown in England

In an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, the government introduced a policy where pupils would be sent home to self-isolate if they came into contact with an infected person in school.

However, the number of cases being prevented by this policy is not being monitored. It has been estimated at least 279,000 children are at home with many being asked to self isolate for 10 days. 

Without a full set of data, it cannot be known how this current policy is affecting the rate of infections. A government spokesperson has said the health secretary and education secretary are working on getting education back to normal as soon as they can. 

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Source: BBC News, 01 July 2021

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Number of people on NHS waiting lists hits 12-year high

At least 162,000 patients are waiting more than a year for routine NHS operations, the highest number for more than 12 years.

Latest statistics from NHS England show 162,888 people were waiting over 52 weeks for hospital treatment in October this year.

The total NHS waiting list for routine treatments at the end of October had reached 4.4 million with more than a third of patients waiting over 18 weeks – the NHS target for waiting times from referral to treatment.

Earlier this year health think tanks had predicted the waiting list could hit 10 million, but NHS England said this had not come to pass because of the work of hospitals and NHS staff to keel waiting lists lower than they were last year.

The median waiting time was just over 11 weeks, NHS England said 

Some experts have warned of hidden demand for NHS surgeries with many patients yet to be referred to treatment because of the covid pandemic.

A spokesperson for NHS England, said: “Although Covid hospitalisations almost doubled during November, for every Covid inpatient the NHS treated, hospitals managed to treat five other inpatients for other health conditions. With cancer referrals and treatments now back above usual levels, our message remains that people should continue to come forward for care when they need it."

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Source: The Independent, 10 December 2020

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Number of patients in UK waiting for lifesaving organ transplant at record high

The number of patients waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the UK has increased to a record high while there has been a sharp drop in donors, official figures show.

More than 8,000 people, including almost 300 children, are on the transplant waiting list, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). With nearly another 4,000 in need of an organ but temporarily off the list because they are too sick or unavailable for an operation, it means almost 12,000 people are living in limbo, waiting for the call that can mean the difference between life and death.

In the past year, the NHS performed fewer transplants, and fewer people donated organs than the previous year. One senior official at NHSBT said the situation was “incredibly concerning”.

Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT’s director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, said there was an urgent need for more Britons to save lives by registering their decision on the NHS organ donor register and telling their loved ones about their wishes.

“We are facing an incredibly concerning situation where more people than ever are waiting for transplants, but fewer donations are taking place. Tragically, someone will die today waiting for a transplant – we urgently need more people to register their decision to donate and to have these vital conversations with their families.

“Last year, 60% of people who donated after death were on the NHS organ donor register, which made those conversations with families so much easier. People are far more likely to support donation when they know it’s what their relative wanted.”

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Source: The Guardian, 9 July 2025

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Number of patients hurt by rogue surgeon unknown

Former patients of a surgeon who has been struck off say their lives have been ruined by his misconduct.

The number of people harmed by Jeremy Parker is unknown but at least 123 are taking legal action.

Their lawyer said the scale of harm caused by his malpractice "could be huge".

A total of 53 allegations against him were found "proved" including dishonestly adding to the case notes of 14 patients, botching operations, not diagnosing infections, failing to consult colleagues and not obtaining patient consent.

The General Medical Council also confirmed a patient had a leg amputated below the right knee after a procedure carried out by Mr Parker went awry.

Christian Beadell from Fletchers Solicitors, which is representing former patients in a class action, said East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust (ESNEFT) had not answered questions over whether it had initiated a recall process to determine the number patients harmed.

"It's difficult to say how many patients have been injured by him," Mr Beadell said.

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Source: BBC News, 8 March 2023

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Number of patients 'medically fit' to leave hospital increases

The number of patients in hospitals who are ‘medically fit’ to leave has increased in January, despite NHS England targets for trusts to dramatically reduce the numbers.

Internal data seen by HSJ suggests there were an average of 12,819 patients who no longer met the ‘criteria to reside’ in NHS hospitals in the week to January 23 – up from around 10,500 before the Christmas period.

Last month, NHS England told local systems to dramatically reduce their numbers of medically fit patients who remained in hospital, as they aimed to free up beds amid a surge in covid-19 admissions fuelled by the omicron wave. It told local leaders “a significant proportion of discharge delays are within the gift of hospitals to solve”.

The message was reiterated by NHSE’s regional teams at the start of January, with systems told to reduce their numbers of medically fit patients by between 30 and 50 per cent.

Yet the proportion of ‘medically fit’ for discharge patients occupying NHS general, acute or critical care beds has also been rising, from around 12% in December to around 14% in mid-January.

Delayed discharges are frequently cited as the main cause of long delays for patients being admitted through hospitals’ emergency departments, which have significantly worsened in recent months.

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Source: HSJ, 26 January 2022

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Number of NHSE whistleblowers tripled in 2021-22

The number of concerns reported by NHS England staff through the freedom to speak up process almost tripled last year, the organisation’s latest board papers have revealed.

There were 152 cases received by the internal freedom to speak up guardians in 2021-22 compared to 56 in 2020-21. This year 54 cases were received in quarter three alone.

The most common concerns are related to allegations of bullying and harassment. These accounted for nearly 40% of the total. People and team management concerns accounted for a third of FTSU cases. Within the latter, there were sub-themes of breakdown in relationships, failure to offer role models and sanctioning or ignoring poor culture.

This week’s report also set out the NHSE FTSU guardian’s next steps. These include appointing a lead guardian, finalising a strategy and continuing to engage with Health Education England and NHS Digital staff as they are brought into NHSE next year.

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Source: HSJ, 7 October 2022

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Number of NHS doctors off sick 'may be nearly triple the official estimate'

The government could be significantly underestimating the number of medics going off work due to the coronavirus, according to a survey by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said on Sunday that 5.7% of hospital doctors were off sick or absent because of Covid-19, but a doctors’ survey of more than 2,500 medics found the rate was almost three times that – 14.6%.

In recent weeks in London, nearly a third of hospital doctors said they were off work for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 reasons, according to the RCP’s poll of members, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday.

Prof Andrew Goddard, the president of the RCP, said the number who had been off work in London “should be a sobering wake-up call” for the rest of the country, with the largest rises in confirmed cases now being outside the capital including in the West Midlands.

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Source: The Guardian, 5 April 2020

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Number of children prescribed antidepressants coincide with lockdowns

The number of children being prescribed antidepressants has increased over the past 5 years, with analysis from The Pharmaceutical Journal showing peaks have coincided with Covid lockdowns. 

It was found between April 2015 and April 2020, children from the ages 0-17 who were prescribed antidepressants by a GP increased by 26 per cent with an increase in prescriptions occurring more notably during lockdowns. 

Furthermore, the analysis found an 8 per cent increase since March 2019 showing 17,902 females and 9,855 males were found to have been prescribed antidepressants when the country was locked down in March 2020.  

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Source: The Independent, 24 June 2021

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Number of asthma sufferers visiting A&E at least five times a year surges, analysis shows

The number of people going to hospital emergency departments five times a year or more for breathing issues like asthma has risen by almost a quarter in the last year.

Analysis of NHS England figures by Asthma + Lung UK found there were just over 42,000 visits to A&E in 2023/24 for breathing issues where the patient had gone to emergency five or more times within a year, a 22.9% rise on the previous 12 months.

Nearly half (45%) of people who sought emergency treatment for asthma and 58% of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had repeat admissions.

Despite the rise, nearly half (49%) of the 3,428 patients polled by the foundation said they were not offered follow-up appointments for their condition, and 55% said better access to their GP would have helped them avoid A&E.

Dr Sharada Gudur, a consultant respiratory physician in Lancashire, said: “Lung health in this country is in a critical state, and if urgent action isn’t taken, it will need resuscitation.

“The challenges are deep-rooted, but they simply cannot be ignored.”

Asthma + Lung UK pointed out new guidelines stated that if someone had gone to emergency they needed a follow-up appointment with an asthma expert, and have their treatment reviewed once a year.

The foundation said if those guidelines were followed, there would be a drop in A&E presentations as well as asthma deaths, which have increased by 25% in the last decade.

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Source: The Independent, 18 March 2025

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Number of adults with dementia to exceed 150m by 2050, study finds

The number of adults living with dementia worldwide is on course to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, according to the first study of its kind.

Experts described the data as shocking and said it was clear that dementia presented “a major and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems” in every community, country and continent.

US researchers said the dramatic rise from an estimated 57 million cases in 2019 would be primarily due to population growth and ageing. However, several risk factors for dementia – including obesity, smoking and high blood sugar – would also fuel the increase, they said.

Improvements in global education access are projected to reduce global dementia prevalence by 6.2 million cases by 2050. But this will be countered by anticipated trends in obesity, high blood sugar and smoking, which are expected to result in an extra 6.8 million dementia cases.

Hilary Evans, the chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, who was not involved in the study, said the figures “lay bare the shocking scale of dementia across the world”.

She said: “We need to see concerted global action to avoid this number tripling. Dementia doesn’t just affect individuals, it can devastate whole families and networks of friends and loved ones. The heartbreaking personal cost of dementia goes hand in hand with huge economic and societal impacts, strengthening the case to governments across the world to do more to protect lives now and in the future.”

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Source: The Guardian, 6 January 2022

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Number in hospital with norovirus in England 179% higher than last year

The number of people with norovirus in hospital in England is 179% higher than the average at this time of year, official data shows, as the NHS comes under mounting winter pressure.

Admissions caused by the vomiting and diarrhoea-causing norovirus have surged and cases of other seasonal viruses are also rising, according to NHS England figures. Health chiefs said the impact on hospitals from seasonal viruses was likely to be worsened by the current cold weather.

“We all know somebody who has had some kind of nasty winter virus in the last few weeks,” said Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director.

“Today’s data shows this is starting to trickle through to hospital admissions, with a much higher volume of norovirus cases compared to last year, and the continued impact of infections like flu and RSV in children on hospital capacity – all likely to be exacerbated by this week’s cold weather.”

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Source: The Guardian, 30 November 2023

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NPA asks pharmacies to report all patient safety incidents as number plunge in Q2 of 2020

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has asked community pharmacies to report all patient safety incidents despite growing work pressure due to a persisting virus pandemic.

Since March, there has been a significant decrease in the number of patient safety incidents being reported, the NPA said in its medication safety update for the second quarter of 2020.

Overall, there was a 44.5% decrease in the number of incidents reported during the second quarter of the year, compared to the first quarter of 2020.

There was a 40.6% decrease in the number of patient safety incidents when compared to the same quarter in 2019.

“This is a significant reduction in number of incidents being reported. This may be due to the increased workload and pressure on pharmacy teams due to COVID-19 pandemic, whereby pharmacy teams may not be prioritising reporting of patient safety incidents, or due to other, as yet unknown, reasons,” NPA said in its update.

NPA advises community pharmacists to ensure that they report the actual degree of harm caused to the patient and not the potential harm that could have happened.

The pharmacy body also suggested pharmacists should make sure that they complete a detailed outcome if an incident did lead to moderate or severe harm to the patient. This allows a thorough analysis to be undertaken by the NPA.

Community pharmacists are also advised to ensure the incident form is fully completed, is accurate and includes sufficient details to allow meaningful analysis of the incident.

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Source: Pharmacy Business, 27 October 2020

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Now for sale: Data on your mental health (Washington Post)

Capitalizing on the pandemic explosion in telehealth and therapy apps that collect details of your mental health needs, data brokers are packaging that information for resale, a new study finds. There’s no law stopping them.

In a study published Monday, a research team at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy outlines how expansive the market for people’s health data has become.

After contacting data brokers to ask what kinds of mental health information she could buy, researcher Joanne Kim reported that she ultimately found 11 companies willing to sell bundles of data that included information on what antidepressants people were taking, whether they struggled with insomnia or attention issues, and details on other medical ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease or bladder-control difficulties.

Justin Sherman, a senior fellow at Duke who ran the research team, says that mental health data should be treated especially carefully, given that it could pertain to people in vulnerable situations — and that, if shared publicly or rendered inaccurately, could lead to devastating results.

Source: Washington Post, 13 February 2023

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Now AI will be used to help NHS doctors spot pre-cancerous growths

NHS doctors will be able to use AI tools to help them spot growths which can turn into bowel cancer after the technology was given the green light for use in the health service.

Growths in the bowel called polyps are not cancerous, but certain types of polyps can develop into cancer if they are not found and removed early. These can be spotted during a camera test to look inside the bowel, known as a colonoscopy.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has conditionally approved five new AI tools, which it said can act as a “second pair of eyes” during these examinations. Nice made the draft recommendations after reviewing evidence which suggests they can help doctors find more polyps during bowel examinations.

The AI technologies can be used in the NHS while more evidence is collected on them over the next four years, Nice said.

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Source: The Independent, 20 November 2025.

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Nottinghamshire families left unaware of babies’ blood test results in second NHS error

Hundreds of families in Nottinghamshire have potentially been left unaware of whether their babies may be carriers of certain genetic blood disorders, the second such NHS error to come to light since the start of this year.

About 300 families whose children were born between 2004 and September 2024 in Bassetlaw and mid-Nottinghamshire were identified by the NHS as being affected.

Changes in how genetic testing results were communicated to families meant they may not have been informed of whether their child was a carrier of a trait for sickle cell disease or for an unusual haemoglobin gene.

NHS England said it has contacted the families affected directly by letter so that they understand what being a carrier means for them and their children.

The NHS has also said that since the error, changes have been made to the way blood results are communicated within the area to make it more robust.

In January, the Guardian reported that an error by the NHS led to more than 800 families in Derbyshire not receiving the results of a heel prick test given to babies after birth, meaning they did not know whether their child was a carrier of a trait for sickle cell disease or for an unusual haemoglobin gene. NHS officials apologised “wholeheartedly” to the families affected, saying the error “shouldn’t have happened” and that an investigation had been launched.

John James, the chief executive of the Sickle Cell Society, said: “It is unacceptable that, once again, families have not been informed of their children’s newborn screening results. The fact that this issue has now emerged in another area, over a 20-year period, highlights a catastrophic weakness in the NHS’s system for communicating test results – with distressing consequences for parents and individuals who remain unaware of this vital information.

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Source: The Guardian, 11 May 2025

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Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre failings led to girl's sepsis death

A series of hospital failings contributed to the death of a five-year-old girl who died from toxic shock syndrome, an inquest jury has found. Ava Macfarlane died on 15 December 2017 after being treated at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.  

Prescribing antibiotics earlier could have "given her chances of survival", Nottingham Coroner's Court heard. Returning a narrative conclusion the jury said there had been "missed opportunities" to diagnose sepsis.

Dr Keith Girling, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, apologised for the "significant shortcomings" in its care.

He said a number of changes had been made following Ava's death and greater awareness of sepsis, in relation to children with complex medical conditions, had been raised.

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Source: BBC News, 4 September

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Nottingham University Hospitals Trust may face criminal prosecution over maternity scandal

Criminal prosecution is being considered by the NHS care watchdog over the maternity scandal at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. 

Many babies have died in the maternity unit due to poor patient care and failings by staff. 

Evidence is now being examined as to whether the trust committed a criminal offence by not following the proper procedures and by not being honest with parents and families about the deaths of the babies. 

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Source: The Independent, 2 July 2021

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Nottingham University Hospitals Trust failed to send 400,000 letters

An NHS hospital trust in Nottingham failed to send more than 400,000 digital letters and documents to GPs and patients, BBC News can reveal.

A former employee has told of "a lack of responsibility" over a new computer system.

Patient body Healthwatch said it was "deeply concerned" by the scale of the incident and the impact on care.

The trust says a full investigation took place in 2017 and found no significant harm to patients.

But it has now said it will carry out a review of that investigation and take any further action needed.

The healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it was not aware of the incident and would be following up with the trust.

This is the second major incident in England involving unsent NHS letters uncovered by the BBC recently.

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Source: BBC News, 30 September 2023

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Nottingham University Hospitals Trust battles to fill 70 midwife vacancies

In the wake of the Nottingham Hospital maternity scandal, the hospital is now trying to find 70 midwives to fill vacancies. 

In recent years, concerns about staff shortages and patient safety has been raised, with staff even writing a letter to the trust board over their fears. 

A spokesperson from the trust has said “We will endeavour to continue recruiting until all vacancies have been filled, and our staff will continue working tirelessly to improve services for local women and families.”

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Source: The Independent, 05 July 2021

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Nottingham review scope 'wider than UK's biggest maternity scandal'

The midwife leading a review into failings by Nottingham's maternity services said the scope was wider than the UK's biggest maternity scandal.

Donna Ockenden previously led the review at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust that found failings led to the deaths of more than 200 babies.

The terms of reference for the review in Nottingham were set out on Tuesday. A category of severe maternal harm has been added to include cases that did not lead to a death or injury.

Earlier this year Ms Ockenden completed her inquiry into the UK's biggest maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

She said the scope of the review in Nottingham was wider because an additional category had been added to the investigation. It aims to identify cases of severe maternal harm, like an unexpected admission to intensive care or a major obstetric haemorrhage.

Ms Ockenden said: "We felt adding in the category of severe maternal harm would help us to understand women's experiences and help us to learn and help the trust to learn from those cases as well.

"So actually there's been a widening of the scope which our review team felt was important and when we tested it out with some families they felt it was important too.

"Perhaps there's a mum out there saying 'well I'm ok, and my baby's ok, but x,w,z of my maternity experience really worried me or frightened me' then she can send in her experiences."

She said fathers could also send in their experiences.

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Source: BBC News, 14 September 2022

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