RCN report: 10 Unsustainable Pressures on the Health and Care System in England (15 November 2021)

Summary

This report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) outlines 10 indicators that NHS is under unsustainable pressure. It refutes claims by Government ministers that pressures on health and care services are sustainable, stating that disaster for the NHS can only be prevented by addressing workforce shortages.

Content

This report outlines ten unsustainable pressures currently affecting the NHS, and details the reasons for these pressures:

1. NHS bed occupancy rate
2. Sickness absence in nurses working in the NHS and social care
3. NHS nursing workforce vacancy rate
4. High Covid-19 infection rates
5. NHS hospital waiting times
6. NHS elective/community waiting times
7. Social care workforce vacancies
8. International recruitment in the NHS and social care
9. Insufficient domestic NHS and social care nursing supply
10. Increase demand for social care services