Reforms of NHS don’t stand a chance unless recruitment is fixed, say top nurses

Top nurses have said that planned government reforms for the health service “stand no chance” if issues with recruitment and retention in the profession are not addressed.

They made the warning as new figures show the number of nurses and midwives registered in the UK has grown to a record high.

However, experts say the workforce is “increasingly inexperienced”, faces worrying shortages and still relies heavily on candidates from overseas.

Policymakers have been urged to consider measures such as student loan forgiveness schemes to ensure there are enough homegrown staff.

The latest mid-year report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council shows there were a record 841,367 professionals on the register as of the end of September, an increase of 14,949 compared with the previous six months and 22% higher than March 2017.

Nevertheless, Prof Nicola Ranger, the general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), called the figures “bad news for patients”.

She said: “Nurse recruitment is slowing, the numbers of new starters is falling and we are witnessing a devastating increase in people leaving within five years of joining. At a time of widespread vacancies, these trends are incredibly worrying for our NHS and the people that rely on its care. Across health and care services, international recruitment was utilised to plug rota gaps, but we are now watching as thousands of overseas staff choose to go elsewhere."

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Source: The Guardian, 2 December 2024