Secret files reveal 1 in 3 hospitals in England missing 10% of nurses

After a ten-month battle, Channel 4 News’ FactCheck team has obtained NHS data revealing 1 in 3 of England’s hospitals are missing at least 10% of their planned-for nurses across their wards.

After the Mid-Staffordshire scandal, the government at the time promised to shine a light on the nursing understaffing that had contributed to putting patients at risk, sometimes even costing their lives.

For several years, crucial data was publicly available from NHS England. But in 2018, it was quietly shelved, and it hasn’t been possible to see it nationally since.

The situation is even more serious in critical care where 20% of nurses were missing from 1 in 5 units. While in neonatal care that increases to 1 in 3 wards.

Watch the full news story

Source: Channel 4 News, 20 March 2025