NHS could be short of 70,000 nurses

A leaked government report has warned that the NHS could be short of almost 70,000 nurses within five years.

A copy of the government’s long-awaited plan to tackle the staffing crisis, seen by the Observer, says: “Our analysis shows a 40,000 (11 per cent) shortfall [in the number of nurses needed in England] in 2018-19 which widens to 68,500 (16 per cent) by 2023-24 without intervention, as demand for nurses grows faster than supply.”

The paper stresses that the shortage could be even higher than 68,500 because of ‘additional pressures’ on GP surgeries, which are due to take on greater responsibilities for patient care over the next few years under the NHS long-term plan. This would mean that the NHS’s shortage of nurses increases from one in nine of the workforce to one in six, adding to the rising pressures on hospitals, GP surgeries and mental health care.

Even if its recommendations are implemented in full, the health service will still be short of 38,800 nurses by 2023-24, almost as many the current total of 40,000 vacancies, according to the report.

The report, called the Interim NHS People Plan, also warns that government plans to increase the number of homegrown doctors by 1,500 are inadequate, and that a much bigger increase is needed.