Health Professions: Recruitment

(asked on 5th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) doctor and (b) nurse retention in the NHS over the last decade.


Answered by
Stephen Hammond Portrait
Stephen Hammond
This question was answered on 10th June 2019

NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers.

The following table shows the number of nurses and health visitors who have joined and left National Health Service employment, as at September for each of the years specified and at December, the latest data, in the last year, headcount.

Joiners

Leavers

September 2009 to September 2010

26,125

25,940

September 2010 to September 2011

23,444

27,462

September 2011 to September 2012

24,394

32,816

September 2012 to September 2013

29,447

28,547

September 2013 to September 2014

31,703

30,551

September 2014 to September 2015

33,099

33,800

September 2015 to September 2016

32,762

32,926

September 2016 to September 2017

30,424

33,530

September 2017 to September 2018

31,580

32,155

December 2017 to December 2018

35,369

33,698

Source: NHS Digital Workforce Statistics

The latest data shows that more nurses and health visitors joined employment in the NHS than left.

The following table shows the number of doctors who have joined and left NHS employment, as at September for each of the years specified and at December,the latest data, in the last year, headcount.

Joiners

Leavers

September 2009 to September 2010

16,814

15,038

September 2010 to September 2011

16,630

15,529

September 2011 to September 2012

16,772

15,916

September 2012 to September 2013

18,013

16,574

September 2013 to September 2014

19,699

17,338

September 2014 to September 2015

19,787

18,688

September 2015 to September 2016

18,322

16,608

September 2016 to September 2017

19,482

16,380

September 2017 to September 2018

20,806

18,414

December 2017 to December 2018

20,961

18,070

Source: NHS Digital Workforce Statistics

Over the past 10 years, data consistently shows that more doctors joined employment in the NHS than left. NHS Improvement and NHS Employers are working in partnership to support trusts to improve retention of the nursing workforce. They offer targeted support to trusts to collaborate on key issues affecting retention such as flexible working, supporting new starters and older workers, and development and career planning.

Alongside these retention programmes, the NHS published its interim People Plan on 3 June. It sets out a plan of action to meet the health requirements of the population outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Interim People plan puts NHS people at the heart of NHS policy and a key programme is to make the NHS the best place to work. It was developed by engaging widely with staff, patients, employers, professional organisations, regulatory bodies, voluntary sector, academia and other experts. A new offer for all NHS staff will be developed, which will be published in the final People Plan.

Reticulating Splines