Sudden rise in nurse workforce

For the first time the Health and Social Care Information Centre has broken down its nursing workforce data into specific specialty groups.

There were 172,300 full-time equivalent nurses working on NHS acute, elderly and general wards in October 2013, constituting a rise of 3.5 per cent since September 2009, when the number fell to a low point of 166,443.

The number has risen sharply in the past two months, jumping by 1.9 per cent since August, when 169,049 full time equivalent nurses were employed.

This follows widespread focus on safe staffing levels in hospitals and the campaign for a mandatory minimum staffing level. The government response to the Francis report into the poor care at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust demanded that hospitals began publishing the number of staff on wards on a daily basis from this April.

However, the data also shows a decline in overall community nurse numbers since 2009, falling from 48,108 in September 2009 to 45,943 in October 2013 - a drop of 4.5 per cent.

This fall may be at least partially explained by nurses working in community services which have been transferred to private providers now delivering NHS care.

The number of registered midwives has steadily risen to 21,476 in October 2013 from a low point of 19,569 in September 2009 – a rise of 9.7 per cent.

Overall qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff across the NHS jumped from 306,025 in August 2013 to 310,924 in October 2013 - a rise of 1.6 per cent.

Howard Catton, policy director at the Royal College of Nursing, said: “No doubt this shows a very significant and welcome rise in numbers.”

But he warned there was a risk the “Francis effect” was not being seen in all areas such as mental health and community nursing.

He added it was too early to say whether the increases represented a long-term change in employers’ outlook on staffing levels, saying: “We will only know the answer to that question when trusts face the bite of efficiency savings without being under the glare of media attention and we see the decisions people then make.”

The number of full-time equivalent consultants, including directors of public health, rose by 2.1 per cent to 39,159 in the year to October. The numbers of medical registrars and trainee doctors rose by 2.5 and 1.1 per cent respectively, while the numbers of hospital practitioners and clinical assistants fell by 14.8 per cent.

The number of senior managers fell by 3.8 per cent over the 12 months to October, to 10,197. The number of less senior managers fell by 2.4 per cent to 23,349.