North Devon health trust is short of around 100 nurses, NHS managers have revealed.
There should be 1,218 nurses at the trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust is issuing a recruitment drive to boost current numbers.
Dr Alison Diamond, chief executive, said: “We have a variety of posts available in the acute hospital at NDDH, the trust’s 17 community hospitals and our nine health and social care teams who support people in their own homes.
“There are some great opportunities for experienced nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists seeking a new challenge, as well as nurses looking to return to practice and students due to qualify from university in March or September.”
The trust blamed an “ongoing” national shortage of nurses for the numbers as well as current competition for staff from other trusts.
Last year, statistics from the House of Commons Library showed that the number of nurses in the UK had dropped to 5,182 per million in May 2014 compared to 5,364 nurses in May 2010. An analysis by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence suggests that, by 2016, the number of nurses will have fallen by five per cent.
Fiona Tinsley, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Clear Law said: “These figures are very concerning both in North Devon and nationwide.
“A shortfall in nurses puts other medical professionals under further pressure which increases the risk of mistakes being made such as misdiagnosis or other errors. These issues need to be addressed without delay address and plans implemented to work towards filling these gaps in a sustainable way.”