NHS staff vacancy numbers paint a bleak picture

Commenting on the latest NHS Digital vacancy data, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said:

“These figures paint a bleak picture: the NHS is still facing chronic workforce shortages, and they are getting worse.

“A jump in nearly 30,000 staff vacancies – equivalent to the entire staffing of a large NHS hospital – show an alarming trend across the NHS of rising levels of vacancies, with the biggest issues in nursing, which have grown by nearly 8,000.

“These posts urgently need to be filled to make sure our communities receive the best care possible, and also to alleviate the strain our teams continue to face, against a backdrop of spiralling workloads and ever-growing backlogs of treatment.

“Staff remain under huge pressure, and NHS leaders are very concerned about the relentless demand being placed on their teams.

“The government cannot delay any longer the need for a significant and sustained long-term investment in growing health and social care workforce numbers and setting out a workforce plan fit for a 21st century health service.”