17
Mar 2020
One in eight nursing posts empty as ‘Government efforts to recruit more students have failed’
According to a new report the NHS still needs 43,000 more nurses to meet patient demand in England, with data showing that one in eight posts are currently empty with only five per cent of workers having joined the force since 2010.
This is despite the government’s concerted efforts to recruit more students, which the National Audit Office (NAO) say have ‘failed to meet expectations’.
Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee said of the report “As the coronavirus spreads, the importance of the NHS and nurses who look after us becomes ever more apparent.
“There are 44,000 nursing vacancies. Plans to increase the numbers of nurses starting degrees have failed to meet expectations.
“It takes three to four years for policies to train new nurses to have an impact.”
The Royal College of Nursing’s director of nursing, policy and practice, Susan Masters, added “There simply aren’t enough nurses joining the profession in England to look after the health of the population.
“Next week’s budget is the perfect opportunity for the government to respond to the workforce problems of NHS and social care.
“We are calling for investment to remove financial barriers for nursing students, by paying for tuition fees and providing grants for the real cost of living.
“Until there’s a law clarifying who is responsible and accountable for workforce in government and throughout the health and care system, patient safety remains at risk.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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