This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Unfilled nurse jobs continue to rise year on year
The Royal College of Nursing has stressed that the NHS ten-year plan must sufficiently address staff shortages as the number of unfilled nurse jobs rises year on year.
New figures from NHS Improvement on the operational and financial performance of the health service in the last quarter of the year highlight the ongoing pressure services are under, further highlighting the scale of staff shortages.
The data shows that an additional 1,700 nurse posts are vacant compared to the same time last year, with the vacancy rate now standing at 11.6 per cent.
Therefore, the RCN is calling for the government to ensure it comes up with a sustainable way to tackle staff shortages in the upcoming NHS ten-year plan.
Donna Kinnair, acting chief executive of the RCN, said: “Despite everything we know about the consequences for patients and the abundance of research on safe care, the number of unfilled nurse jobs is rising year on year, not falling. The forthcoming ten-year plan from NHS England is an opportunity to make a break with this situation.
“It is clear as day to nurses, midwives and health care assistants on the ground that the NHS is dealing with unsustainable workforce shortages. NHS staff are looking expectantly to the long-term plan to show that help is on the way. Well-intentioned announcements from government without staff to deliver the care won’t wash anymore and it’s irresponsible, wishful thinking to wait until next year for the spending review to tackle this. NHS England must provide at least £1 billion per year to invest in nursing higher education to guarantee future safe staffing levels.”
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