Responding to the review, RCN Head of Nursing Practice and Professional Lead for Mental Health Stephen Jones said:
“It’s positive to see increased access and investment in mental health services in England, but the size of the mental health nursing workforce is only just returning to 2010 levels as demand continues to rise.
"Today, staff shortages in mental health nursing account for around a third of all nursing vacancies in the NHS in England, with more than 13,000 posts left unfilled. Experienced staff are pushed out the door by difficult working conditions and low pay, leaving new recruits with little time to find their feet or learn from those with vital clinical experience - when this happens, patient care suffers.
“The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan needs the number of training places for mental health nursing to increase by 93% by 2031/32, yet the number of applicants to study nursing has fallen by 26% in just two years. This should sound alarm bells in government and across health and care.
“Nursing staff provide the vast majority of care in mental health services and are central to improving patient outcomes. Ministers can recognise this by delivering a fair pay offer along with an emergency package of measures in the budget to support nurse recruitment.”
Ends
Notes to editors
As cited in the review, the number of vacancies in NHS mental health services remains high. In September 2023, there were 28,600 vacancies (19% of the total workforce), including 1,700 medical and 13,300 nursing vacancies. In every region of England, vacancy rates in mental health services are higher than the overall NHS vacancy rate. The report also acknowledges the crisis in retention, with a 19% turnover rate in the overall workforce in the year to September 2023.
Last week, the RCN in response to a 26% drop in just two years in the number of applicants applying for nursing courses in England called upon the UK Government to use the upcoming budget to:
1. Fund nursing student tuition fees: eliminate the financial burden associated with nursing education, thereby attracting a wider pool of potential candidates, and promoting social mobility within the profession.
2. Implement a loan forgiveness scheme for NHS nurses: relieve financial pressure on registered nurses working in the NHS, incentivising them to remain in the public health care system and contribute to long-term workforce stability.
3. Reintroduce universal living maintenance grants: maintenance grants need to reflect actual student need in terms of living costs so students can focus on their studies without experiencing financial or emotional hardship. This is a crucial step in addressing the issues around student retention, which are exacerbating the NHS workforce crisis.
