Even more’ nurses considering quitting the profession, survey reveals

There has been a sharp rise in the number of nurses considering quitting the profession compared to this time last year, suggest results from a new survey.

The research also found that “existing tensions” among the workforce appeared to have been “exacerbated” by the COVID-19 crisis.

The survey findings feature in a new report published by Royal College of Nursing and cover the views of almost 42,000 of its members across the UK and Channel Islands.

Of those who responded to the survey, 36% of nurses were thinking of leaving the profession, an increase from 27% reported in a similar piece of research carried out at the end of last year.

When considering the reasons for quitting, 61% of staff indicated that the level of pay was the “main driver”, while others said they were dissatisfied with the way nursing staff had been treated during the pandemic (44%).

Meanwhile, 43% of nurses cited low staffing levels and 42% a lack of management support as key reasons for wanting to leave nursing.

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Source: Nursing Times, 17 July 2020