The numbers of qualified nursing staff recruited by the NHS in England has reached record levels, with numbers increasing by more than 3,000 in a single month.
The latest workforce data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows the total number of full time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visitor staff hit 316,561 in October– its highest ever recorded level and 3,047 higher than in September.
This is the largest single monthly increase seen in nurse staffing levels since monthly records began in September 2009.
In the acute sector the numbers of qualified nursing staff jumped by 1,752 in October compared to September, also hitting a record total of 176,746.
The number of staff working in community services, which has seen sustained decline in recent years, rose by more than 1,000 in September and October to a total of 47,167.
In mental health the numbers of nursing staff rose slightly by 189 in October compared to September but within an overall downward trend from a high of 26,401 in November 2009 to 22,587 in October 2014. In community psychiatry numbers dropped by 46 in October compared to September to a total of 15,343.
The rapid recruitment of nursing staff reverses and exceeds the seasonal summer decline in 2014 and is further evidence of the “Francis effect” on nursing recruitment as trusts seek to boost staffing numbers following the Francis inquiry into poor care at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust.
The Francis report has also led to a desire for greater transparency on nurse staffing by trusts. NHS England now requires trusts to publish their staffing data, and guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also recommend minimum staffing ratios in adult wards and accident and emergency departments.
Studies by the National Nursing Research Unit show the impact of nurse to patient ratios, including research showing that a ratio of more than eight patients per registered nurse is associated with poor care. This research as well as the 1:8 ratio have been cited by NICE in its recent guidelines.
The sudden surge in recruitment has driven many trusts to seek qualified nurses from overseas. An investigation by HSJ in December revealed that more than 5,778 overseas nurses were recruited to the NHS in just 12 months.
Peter Griffiths, an expert in nursing workforce at Southampton University, told HSJ: “It is pretty clear looking at these figures that nurse staffing is a central issue. The 1:8 ratio is actually a very modest figure and should really be only a bare minimum. In reality it is clear a lot of trusts are being really challenged by that figure.
“It does suggest there are large numbers of trusts where staffing is low by any international standard and they need to look searchingly at their staffing levels rather than finding reasons to explain it away.”
He added: “I hope one of the positive effects of the Francis effect is that the ability of trust finances to completely trump any sensible thinking about nurse staffing has been reduced.”
6 Readers' comments