Responding to a warning from NHS leaders that the NHS is in its most challenging state for decades, Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:
“Ambulances piling up, waiting lists through the roof and nursing staff on their knees is the nightmare reality in our NHS.
“Without enough staff to deal with the ever-mounting crisis, patients are suffering and the NHS is increasingly close to collapse.
“The latest data shows there were 47,000 unfilled nurse jobs in the NHS - rising sharply.
"A simple way to recruit and retain nursing staff - and to keep patients safe - is to pay them fairly for the invaluable work they do. But after a decade of real-terms pay cuts, nursing staff are leaving the workforce in their droves. Many simply can’t afford to be a nurse any longer.
“In under two weeks we will be balloting our members on industrial action. Public support for nurses striking has risen while three quarters say there aren’t enough NHS nursing staff for safe care. The new Prime Minister must put the NHS and addressing the workforce crisis at the very top of their agenda.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
NHS Digital data released on 1 September covers the period April-June 2022 and shows:
- There were 46,828 registered nurse vacancies in the NHS between April and June 2022.
- Vacancies have risen by 21% since April-June 2021 when the vacancy total was 38,814.
Figures from YouGov Plc released this week have shown:
- Two thirds of the public (64%) support nurses taking strike action
- Three quarters (75%) feel there are not enough nursing staff employed in the NHS for safe care
- Only half (56%) are confident they would receive good care in the NHS, a drop from over two thirds (68%) in June 2022
- Nearly two thirds (62%) said this was due to there not being enough nurses and nursing staff to provide safe care, while over half (55%) say waiting times contribute to concerns
Total sample size was 1,752 GB adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 26 - 28 August 2022. Historic comparisons have been made to fieldwork undertaken between 23-24 June 2022, available here: https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/oug6l69g96/RCN_Results_GB_220624.pdf; and 25-27 July 2022, available here: https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/vpycppmapj/YouGov%20Results%20-%20Support%20for%20Various%20Strikes.pdf. All surveys were carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
