Rise in nursing staff considering leaving the profession

The Royal College of Nursing has highlighted a sharp rise in the proportion of nursing staff considering leaving the profession, driven primarily by concerns about pay.

The first report from the RCN’s Building a Better Future member survey reveals how professional lives have been changed by the pandemic. Across the NHS and independent sectors, the percentage thinking of leaving the profession has increased to 36 per cent, from 27 per cent last year.

For those considering leaving, 61 per cent said pay is a factor. Other factors cited include the way nursing staff have been treated during the coronavirus pandemic (44 per cent), low staffing levels (43 per cent), and lack of management support (42 per cent).

Of the 42,000 responding members, 73 per cent said higher pay would make them feel more valued. The RCN is among a number of health unions who have called for pay negotiations to be brought forward so that pay deals due to expire in 2021 can be replaced with a pay rise sooner.

Dame Donna Kinnair, RCN chief executive, said: “The responses from our members working in all sectors reveal how their professional lives have been changed by the pandemic. Existing tensions have been exacerbated. Earlier sticking plasters are no longer covering gaping holes. The government must take steps to retain the nursing staff we have, as well as to increase entry into the profession. Investment in staffing and pay is about both patient safety and the health of our workers. That is how to equip all NHS and care services to help keep patients safe.”