33,000 nurses leave NHS each year

Figures released by NHS Digital have shown that one in ten nurses are now leaving the NHS in England each year, piling pressure on community services and understaffed hospitals.

The figures represent a rise of 20 percent since 2012 and mean that the rate of leavers has exceeded the rate of starters.

Although the figures do not show where the nurses are going, indications are that destinations include the private sector, moving abroad or leaving the nursing sector altogether to pursue other careers.

Janet Davies, head of the Royal College of Nursing, said “The government must lift the NHS out of this dangerous and downward spiral.

“We are haemorrhaging nurses at precisely the time when demand has never been higher.

“The next generation of British nurses aren’t coming through just as the most experienced nurses are becoming demoralised and leaving.”

Professor Jane Cummings, the chief nursing officer for England, acknowledged that there was a problem, but said that steps were being taken to retain staff and highlight the value of the NHS to potential staff.

She went on to say “We do lose people that need to be encouraged.  We’re in the process of bringing in lots of nurse ambassadors that are going to be able to talk about what a great role it is, to be able to tell their story, so we can really encourage people to enter the profession and for those in the profession to stay in it.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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