England’s NHS may be short of 55,000 nurses, RCN warns

The NHS in England may be short of around 55,000 registered nurses needed to provide safe care, more than twice the number indicated by official vacancy figures, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

Official data recorded 23,046 nursing vacancies in August. However, the RCN said this only reflects funded posts that employers are actively seeking to fill and does not measure how many nurses services need to meet rising demand.

Its estimate is based on changes in NHS activity since 2009, including hospital admissions, appointments and attendances. Registered nurse numbers grew by just 1% during the past year, while workforce experts estimate annual growth of between 2.5% and 5.7% is required.

The RCN’s examination of NHS trust board papers also identified hundreds of incidents linked to understaffing, including delayed pain relief and essential medicines, missed care, patient falls and pressure ulcers.

Nursing staff reported that shortages were leaving them able to respond only to immediate needs, limiting preventive care and preparation for discharge. One hospital unit had reportedly gone more than six months without a fully staffed shift.

The RCN is calling for greater investment in domestic nurse training, stronger retention measures and consistent national workforce planning. It wants the government’s forthcoming NHS Workforce Plan to provide trusts with sufficient funding to recruit the number of nurses required for safe care.

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