Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS staff left the NHS in England in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20; and for what reasons did those staff leave.
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practice surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
The following table shows the total number and proportion of National Health Service staff who left the NHS in England in 2018-19 and 2019-20 by reason for leaving.
| March 2018 to March 2019 | March 2019 to March 2020 |
All HCHS Staff - Leavers | 133,041 | 132,032 |
All HCHS Staff - Leavers rate | 10.9% | 10.5% |
Bank Staff not fulfilled minimum work requirement | 47 | 44 |
Death in Service | 777 | 889 |
Dismissal - Capability | 1,983 | 1,839 |
Dismissal - Conduct | 989 | 962 |
Dismissal - Some Other Substantial Reason | 763 | 693 |
Dismissal - Statutory Reason | 149 | 103 |
Employee Transfer | 3,776 | 3,265 |
End of Fixed Term Contract | 6,207 | 5,525 |
End of Fixed Term Contract - Completion of Training Scheme | 1,488 | 1,293 |
End of Fixed Term Contract - End of Work Requirement | 487 | 549 |
End of Fixed Term Contract - External Rotation | 1,265 | 1,191 |
End of Fixed Term Contract - Other | 698 | 714 |
Flexi Retirement | 558 | 662 |
Has Not Worked | 32 | 32 |
Initial Pension Ended | 1 | 2 |
Merged Organisation - Duplicate Record | 1 | 3 |
Mutually Agreed Resignation - Local Scheme with Repayment | 327 | 232 |
Mutually Agreed Resignation - National Scheme with Repayment | 17 | 21 |
Not Set in Legacy at Migration | 4 | 2 |
Pregnancy | 30 | 26 |
Redundancy - Compulsory | 696 | 562 |
Redundancy - Voluntary | 256 | 216 |
Retirement - Ill Health | 1,037 | 1,000 |
Retirement Age | 13,342 | 13,914 |
Voluntary Early Retirement - no Actuarial Reduction | 929 | 839 |
Voluntary Early Retirement - with Actuarial Reduction | 1,092 | 1,137 |
Voluntary Resignation - Adult Dependants | 616 | 659 |
Voluntary Resignation - Better Reward Package | 2,833 | 2,402 |
Voluntary Resignation - Child Dependants | 1,466 | 1,477 |
Voluntary Resignation - Health | 2,899 | 3,157 |
Voluntary Resignation - Incompatible Working Relationships | 849 | 969 |
Voluntary Resignation - Lack of Opportunities | 1,415 | 1,340 |
Voluntary Resignation - Other/Not Known | 16,984 | 15,196 |
Voluntary Resignation - Promotion | 5,098 | 5,002 |
Voluntary Resignation - Relocation | 10,011 | 9,677 |
Voluntary Resignation - To undertake further education or training | 2,928 | 2,963 |
Voluntary Resignation - Work Life Balance | 9,885 | 10,458 |
Unknown | 41,333 | 43,232 |
Source: NHS Digital NHS HCHS workforce statistics
Notes:
Leavers data are based on headcount and shows staff leaving active service. This would include those going on maternity leave or career break, as well as those leaving a NHS provider to work in another part of the health and social care sector, including social care or primary care. Totals for NHS leavers that are different to the sum of constituent parts indicate where staff have left the NHS in more than one post.