Nuffield Trust responds to nurse shortage warning

The Nuffield Trust responds to today’s letter from NHS trust chief executives and NHS Employers arguing that nursing should be included on the list of shortage occupations for immigration purposes.

Press release

Published: 10/09/2015

In response to today’s letter from NHS trust chief executives and NHS Employers, Nuffield Trust Director of Healthcare Systems Candace Imison said:

The rising numbers of nurse vacancies in trusts speaks for itself. There are not enough nurses to meet the NHS’s needs.Candace Imison, Nuffield Trust Director of Healthcare Systems

“The rising numbers of nurse vacancies in trusts speaks for itself. There are not enough nurses to meet the NHS’s needs. This lies at the root of the soaring agency staff costs putting pressure on hospital finances. Given this situation, it is amazing that nurses are not counted by the Home Office as a shortage occupation.

“The Government should listen to these employers about how immigration policy could help in the short term. But the longer term solution must be to train enough nurses in the UK. For 2015/16 the annual number of training places for nurses in England only increased by 989 to just under 23,000. But the gap currently filled by agency staff is bigger than that. On the other hand, nurse training courses are hugely over-subscribed. We are turning away people who could help solve our staffing problems.”

Notes to editors

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