‘Haemorrhaging nurses’: one in 10 quit NHS England each year

Data showing 33,000 nurses left in 2016-17 triggers warning of ‘dangerous and downward spiral’

One in 10 nurses are leaving the NHS in England each year, according to official figures, raising fresh concerns about staffing shortages in hospitals.

Data published by NHS Digital on Wednesday shows that just under 33,500 nurses left the service in 2016-17 – 3,000 more than joined and 20% higher than the number who quit in 2012-13.

A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied.

Related: Doctors and nurses: ‘When May and Hunt tell the public the NHS is not in crisis, that is a lie’

Continue reading... January 17, 2018 at 04:54PM