A report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned that immediate action must be taken to increase the current number of NHS nurses.
The RCN said that there are now fewer nurses than there were in 2010, if health visitors, midwives and schools nurses are excluded.
Citing the government’s cuts to nurse training places in 2010 as a key factor in the shortage, the RCN said that whilst the government claimed there had been a rise in the number of nursing posts, a headcount revealed the figure has in fact fallen from 317,370 in the summer of 2010 to 315,525 in winter 2014. It said this was “remarkable” given the increasing demands on the NHS.
The report also said that although 50,000 people applied to become a nurse last year, just 21,000 places were actually available, indicating that there is no shortage of people wanting to do the job. However, as it takes three years for student nurses to quality, changes need to come into play sooner rather than later if they are to make a difference.
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, told the BBC: “We warned that cutting the workforce numbers to fund the NHS reorganisation and to find the efficiency savings was the wrong course to take.
“The cuts were so severe that we are only just catching up with where we were five years ago.
“Many areas, like district nursing and mental health, are even worse off.
“While the health service has spent the last five years running on the spot, demand has continued to increase.
“Whoever forms the next government must learn from this report and take immediate action to grow the nursing workforce, and ensure it can keep up with demand with a sustainable and long-term plan.”